The girl from the Land of Art
by VievieGEM
Summary: Naruto is commissioned to escort Rio, a 16 year old girl captured by the Leaf in an attempted attack on her village, around Konoha and assist her in settling in. Little does she know, he has been ordered by Tsunade to earn her trust in order to release the seal she bears and destroy her particular chakra, thus diffusing the danger she presents to the Village Hidden in the Leaves.OC
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters, Rio Toyohai is however, my own creation.

Chapter one

A glowing blaze burns through the Village hidden in Art, licking at rooftops with its blue-tipped tongues. Bodies litter the streets, the raging immolation of their village reflected in their glazed eyes. The screams have quietened, but the crackling of fire on wood is deafening. The girl's gasps can barely be heard as she pelts down street after street, constantly looking behind her and shying away from the bodies.

She comes to a sudden stop in front of a flaming house; eyes wide and fearful, as if she doesn't quite know how it appeared before her. The door is kicked in, lying on an angle. She covers her mouth with her grazed hands and hesitantly enters.

The smoke is getting thicker now, but she endures the inevitable choking as she cries out,

"Mother! Father! Cinari!"

Each word circles poison fingers around her windpipe. Eyes streaming, she falls to the ground and retches. She can no longer see the door, but the air is clearer by the ground. She feels her way along the floor, blinking rapidly to free her sight of the blur. Sucking in a sudden gust of smoke, she bursts into a coughing fit, lifting a hand to cover her mouth. Only, it's covered in a luke-warm fluid; gritty, and thicker than water.

Mind now hazy, the sound of the fire and groaning beams retract, replaced by an overwhelming ringing. Fire traces red veins up her arms, blemishing her collar and cheekbones as the honey tinted skin relents to the scorching heat. But she sees nothing. She feels nothing. Nothing but the slashed bodies of her parents before her, blood pooling under their lifeless frames.

The world tilts sideways. She can feel the erratic, frantic beating of her heart beneath her chest in all corners of her body, but she cannot locate individual limbs. As her mind closes in on itself, a pair of hands clasp around her, and pull her from the smoking house as its bones collapse with a final resonating crack, and settles amongst the blackening timber.

* * *

"Are you sure she's the one? We don't want to get back to the leaf and find we've got the wrong girl."

_The Leaf? As in the Fire country?_ The girl thinks.

She is sure she has some other thing to be thinking about. The iron slab weighting her heart down in her chest is telling her it's important.

"See for yourself. That's the seal right there, exactly as described." Another voice says.

_Where am I? Who are these people? I don't recognise their voices..._

"Ok then." The first voice counters, seeming satisfied.

"Keep her out until we get back, we don't know what she's capable of."

"Yes Sir!" Comes the sharp affirmative.

A heavy, suffocating dark crushes her reviving consciousness, and she slips back into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

_Cold. But how can it be cold? It was so hot._

White stars rise and recede behind the girls eyelids.

_Eyes. Get your eyes open._ She orders herself.

The girl's eyelids flutter open, revealing dark chocolate eyes, ringed in black, shocking against her sun-kissed skin. Her almond shaped eyes are fringed with corresponding black lashes, dyed golden at the ends from exposure to the sun.

She hears the sound of metal grating against itself and pushes herself up on her side, head swirling from all the toxins she had inhaled earlier.

"Rio Toyohai." It isn't a question, it is a direct address.

"That depends, who's asking?" She rasps.

Talking feels like having ones vocal chords put through a paper shredder.

Blinking away the water in her eyes, Rio realises she's surrounded by rolling stone walls and is lying on a bare concrete floor. There are no windows, no way to tell what time it is. Only a single metal door pierces the endless stone, white lights flickering unsettlingly above them.

A man leaning on the open door frame stands looking down at her, arms crossed, daring her to make a run for it. He is unusually tall, wears a long black coat, and she recognises the Leaf headband on the bandanna covering his head.

She gasps in fright when he steps out of the shadow and she sees the two terrible scars that slash across his face, puckering his brown skin. Her breathing stops completely when her eyes meet with his. He stares at her with a predatory gaze, like a young boy who will pull all the legs off of a stick insect one by one to watch it thrash its distorted body on the ground just to see how long it will last.

The man's shoulders shake, a deep rumbling echoing around the walls of her cell.

"Bravery will not help you here Rio, it would be best for both of us if you just give me what I want."

"I don't understand." Rio replies genuinely, not to his statement, but thinking of the attack on her village.

The interrogators face hardens. She shies back against the wall, then kicks herself internally for not holding her ground.

_Be brave. Be brave..._

"Don't play games with me! We know you bear the seal!" His eyes drift down, resting on her midriff, where her sleeveless top has been ripped away to expose the twining black lines of the seal that contains the secret her parents had worked so hard on with Orochimaru.

A sudden wave of grief hits her, which quickly turns to anger. His invasive glare makes her want to hide the mark, but she forces her hands to stay by her sides.

_I will not show weakness in front of this man! The Leaf burnt down my home, killed my family, my friends!_

The interrogator notices the change in her features and, letting out a breath he was holding, slowly closes the screeching metal door.

"If you insist on doing this the hard way, I can promise you, you will regret it."

Rio's response is as short and sharp as the crack of his hand against her face that follows suit.

"Go to hell."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three

Dawn breaks over the Village Hidden in the Leaves, sunlight filtering in through the cracks in Naruto Uzumaki's curtains. Dust particles dance about the sleeping sixteen year old, twirling with each peaceful breath.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Naruto!"

"Gahh! Sakura!" Naruto exclaims, falling from his bed.

"Get up already! We're meant to be meeting Lady Tsunade in fifteen minutes! You forgot, didn't you?!" His team mate Sakura yells at him from outside the door.

"What? Me? Forget Granny Tsunade? No way! Believe it! I just need a few minutes to get ready..."

"Naruto!" She growls.

* * *

A bleary eyed Naruto and alert Sakura stand before the Hokage, ready to receive their mission.

"Hey Granny Tsunade, where's the rest of Squad 7? I mean, I know Kakashi Sensei is always late, but Sai and Captain Yamato are usually on time." Naruto whines.

The equally sleepy Hokage replies,

"Sai and Yamato will not be joining this mission. As it is, Kakashi is away on a separate mission, and I'm not sure how much help Sai would be here."

"Ha! Well, no wonder! Compared to me, that guy is a total –"

"Shut it Naruto!" Sakura shouts, grabbing his ear.

"Ow! Sakura, let go already! C'mon Sakura!"

"Naruto, the reason I have chosen you for this mission, is because I hear, in fact I know you have a habit of changing people. Sakura, your medical skills may also be needed." Tsunade calmly states.

"My medical skills? What kind of mission is this My Lady?" Sakura asks.

Tsunade picks up a large document and flicks through it absentmindedly.

"For the past six months the Leaf has been gaining intelligence on The Village hidden in Art. It's a small village, just west of the Sound, right on the coast. We received affirmation that they were producing soldiers for Orochimaru, and had discovered how to genetically modify chakra. They have sealed the secret in one of their people."

"Hang on a minute. What's genetically modified chakra? What's so special about it?" Naruto questions, looking puzzled.

"It means," Sakura says impatiently, "being able to alter the amount of chakra one is born with. It can be used by Orochimaru to crush any country he likes; he would have the most powerful Shinobi in his hands."

"Not to flatter you Naruto, but the Nine Tails has modified your chakra, which gives you an advantage in battle."

Naruto, finally understanding the destructive nature of modified chakra, nods solemnly.

"Two weeks ago we launched an attack on the village, our goal being to find and capture those involved with the training of Orochimaru's followers, and of course the development of modified chakra. However, by the time we got there, someone else had beaten us to it. The whole village had been massacred and was burning to the ground. Thankfully, we did manage to capture the person who holds the secret; they're being interrogated by Ibiki as we speak. We believe Orochimaru ordered the destruction of the Art to eradicate the risk of co-conspirators talking. Our goal is to release the seal and destroy the knowledge of this dangerous chakra forever. This is where you come in."

"Alright! I'll discover the secret no matter what! Then we can pound that Orochimaru into the dust and get Sasuke back!" Naruto says with his usual optimistic candour.

"Hold it Naruto. I haven't finished yet." Tsunade says irritably. "We've been interrogating the prisoner for nearly a fortnight, but unfortunately we've made little progress. This mission, among other things will improve your ability to gather intelligence and if you succeed, I'll be able to recommend you both for the missions that revolve around tracing and anticipating the actions of Sasuke and Orochimaru, maybe even the Akatsuki."

"Don't you worry Granny Tsunade!" Naruto says with a grin. "I won't stop till I've –"

"It's still a team mission Naruto; don't try to go off on your own." Sakura cuts in.

"Enough." Tsunade's voice cuts through their bickering. "Prisoner 21 is being held in the bottom of the Leaf's Interrogation Headquarters, Isolation cell 33. They're expecting you, but you'll need to present your Ninja ID upon entry, don't forget it!"

"Got it" Says Sakura confidently.

"Ninja ID? Oh man, I swear I just saw it! Where'd I put it?" Naruto frets to himself.

Tsunade lets out an exasperated sigh.

"Once you've had a chance to speak with our prisoner, come back to my office and I'll give you all completed reports on the situation."

"Yes My Lady." Sakura asserts.

"Alright then, get going."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter four

Alone in her cell, Rio stares at the patches of drying blood that splatter the floor. She is too exhausted to pull herself from the one beneath her head; the burgundy substance crusts the ends of her dark tangled hair. Hands secured behind her back, as they always are for each 'session', her ribs ache, and her stomach burns with the excess of acid. It is easy to succumb to the semi-consciousness she has grown accustomed to, thanks to the pounding behind her eyes.

_Alone in a magnificent auditorium, schools of violins ring their perfect notes, accompanied by booming drums, and two harps play a melancholy duet._

All instruments play for the despair in her heart, while she sings a quiet hymn for her deceased friends and family. The shy, harmonising notes sound of the grief, longing, and hope that occupies her mind constantly and keeps her fighting.

_There is no one in the world for me; I have no one left on Earth. Am I to stay here in this cell forever? Even they will forget about me someday... _She cries over a glistening white piano.

Her escape is shattered by the wretched scraping sound of metal on metal.

_No! It's too soon! He can't be back already! No Rio! Focus, be brave._

She expects the heavy footfalls of her interrogator and torturer she has come to know as Ibiki, and in anticipation of the oncoming pain, curls up as best she can with her tender ribs. She still tries to appear brave, and mouths off to him when she isn't spitting blood, or when she can suck enough air into her winded lungs for a witty retort, but in truth, she is beginning to waver in her belief of her own strength.

However, instead of being greeted with Ibiki's signature thundercloud laugh, she hears a pair of gasps. Shocked herself, her eyes fly open, zeroing in on the two unfamiliar people frozen in the doorway to her cell.

Rio gets over her shock first and makes a quick analysis. Both look around the same age as her and like everyone else she has come across so far, wear the Leaf headband. The girl in red looks to her left at the boy in orange and black, whose eyes have narrowed to stare at the now stale blood under her temple.

Rio's own eyes flicker with fear when she hears the sound of the boy scrunching his fingers up, and sees them squeezed into tight fists at his sides.

_Torturers in training_. She concludes, finding relief in her own black humour.

A voice, softer than Rio was expecting pierces the tense silence.

"Naruto..." The girl trails off, obviously not knowing what to say to her colleague.

"Sakura, why?" The boy named Naruto drops his head. Rio lets out an involuntary gasp when he raises his head and yells,

"How could Granny Tsunade let something like this happen!?"

His eyes are filled with fire and bore into hers. A moment of panic seizes her, and with a burst of adrenaline, she heaves herself off the floor, and in one push, presses her back against the unrelenting stone.

_This guy is not like Ibiki! Those eyes! He will never stop!_

She turns her face away as he points a finger at her and continues to berate his friend.

"Look at her, she's terrified of us!"

"Naruto! Hold on a minute, kay?" The pink-haired girl says, clearly the more 'together' one.

"Huh? What are you gonna..."

Too scared to meet either of their eyes again, Rio fixates on the pair of black boots slowly approaching her, blood pulsing through her as the adrenaline gives another kick.

Sakura crouches about a metre away.

"That looks painful." She states. "Here, let me heal that for you..." Her hands start glowing a light green.

Rio's head feels like a rubber ball is being inflated inside it, increasing the pressure, pressing against her skull. Although her eyesight is now blurry, she still sees the hands reaching for her, and cowers against the wall, uncertain of their actions.

_Wait, are they trying to hurt me? My head... can't...think..._

A wave of nausea hits her, and she feels her eyes start to roll back, but she manages to control the pain and suck in a breath. Distantly, she hears the boy talking with the pink one, as if through a glass window. The hands stop coming towards her and fall away.

"Sakura... stay... serious talk... with... lady."

A soft murmuring is coming from the now completely unfocused girl. The red of her clothes is getting smaller, being obscured by velvet black until she can no longer see at all, and Rio feels the sting of the cold concrete kiss her cheek.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter five

"Granny Tsunade!"

An orange ball of pent up teenager storms into the Hokage's headquarters, pushing aside the two exiting assistants.

"Here we go." The Hokage's best friend Shizune mutters to herself.

"What the hell are you thinking lady?! She's no older than Sakura and I! Is that what the Leaf calls interrogation! Well, answer me!" Naruto yells, his voice breaking in several places.

Tsunade sighs.

"Naruto, that girl bears the seal containing the secret to modifying chakra."

"So? What did she do to deserve this?!"

"Her attitude was clear from the beginning. She wasn't going to give up the secret without a fight. We didn't want to torture her, but as we believed she was one of Orochimaru's warriors, Ibiki is convinced that time is of the essence, and frankly, I'm inclined to agree. We've received word from the ANBU that Orochimaru's forces are already preparing to retrieve her, and we need to get the information out of her as soon as possible."

Tsunade turns to face the window and looks out over the horizon.

"It's my duty to protect this village; I refuse to see it crumble at the hands of that monster."

Tsunade finishes her speech with sheer determination; Naruto falls silent, uncertain of what to say after such a display of willpower.

Tsunade takes a quick breath in, regaining her usual composure.

"However," she says, turning back to face Naruto, "we didn't expect her to hold out this long. We thought Inoichi would soon gather the information, but he was forced out of her mind. I've never seen anything like it; I knew it was possible, after all, Sakura broke Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu in the Chunin exams. Either way, it appears it is time for a different approach."

"Ok, but how am I supposed to get her to talk, she wouldn't let us near her!" Naruto asks incredulously.

"We thought at first she would use her own modified chakra to fight back, but it seems to me that she has no idea how to use it, so I believe it is safe enough."

"Safe enough for what?"

Looking hard at Naruto, Tsunade gives her orders.

"I want Sakura to heal her as best she can, and I am entrusting you Naruto, to take care of her. Show her around the village, get her settled, earn her trust. Find out what you can about the seal and Orochimaru. The more we know the more likely it is that we'll find Sasuke."

"So no more prisoner treatment?" Naruto checks.

"Not so much a prisoner, more like she's on probation. She'll be assigned a room somewhere in the village and will be followed by ANBU at all times. She will also be forbidden to leave the village and for the most part, you will act as her friend."

"Whoa, hang on a minute! You want me, a great ninja, to babysit?! Why can't Sakura do it?" He laments.

"Naruto." Tsunade says sternly, quieting him once again. "You are the only person in this entire village who can do this!" Then softening, she goes on.

"You change people, make them rethink their choices, actions, reasons for feeling a certain way. I need you to change the mindset of this girl. Convince her we're not the enemy. I'll even make you a deal. If you can get the secret to the seal, you'll be excused from this mission, and I'll put you and Sakura forward in recommendation for missions involving the Akatsuki."

The mention of the Akatsuki has the cogs in Naruto's head turning. Tsunade can practically see him mentally sorting out his priorities. After a moment of consideration, Naruto answers.

"So, you wouldn't have tortured her if you knew from the beginning she isn't one of Orochimaru's henchmen?"

"I cannot be certain Naruto. She obviously has some affiliation with him as she refuses to give up the key to the seal, even to save herself."

"Maybe she's just more afraid of him than she is of us..." Naruto quietly murmurs, deep in thought.

Looking up from his reverie, he finally says, "I'll do it."

"Glad to hear it." Tsunade says with apparent relief. "Here are those reports I mentioned earlier."

Tsunade hands him a large folder.

"Her name is Rio Toyohai; get Sakura to read these too."

"You want me to read all that!"

"Get going Naruto!"

"Alright, alright, sheesh!"

* * *

Are you sure he's the most suitable person for this mission My Lady?" Shizune asks hesitantly after Naruto has left.

"He does have a tendency to get a little too involved..." She adds.

An unseen fond smile creases the fifty years old's face as she remarks,

"I trust Naruto. I am confident he will get us results Shizune."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter six

Rio wakes up slowly, zoning in and out of consciousness. She sometimes thinks she can hear people talking, but the voices always stop as she tries to open her eyes. When she finally comes to, blinking away sleep, she has to shade her face from the sharp sting of sunlight, and only after doing so, realises she shouldn't be able to. With a quick swishing sound, the beam disappears.

"Hey! Ahhh... Sorry about that, I just thought maybe you could do with a little sun."

Squinting as her eyes adjust to the room, she catches sight of two outlines opposite her, standing next to a window with the curtains drawn.

"How ya feeling?" The same boyish voice asks.

Making no response, she thinks _I've gone mad_.

She is no longer in her cell, but instead in a white painted room, lying in a lumpy bed and covered in clean cotton sheets. The two stencils approach, but expecting some kind of attack, Rio ignores the sickening grinding in her ribs and throws her legs over the bed rails, ripping an IV out of her inner elbow, and landing unsteadily on her feet. She stumbles, unable to find her balance, as gravity pulls her towards the floor. But before she can meet it, a pair of arms threads themselves under hers and hold her upright.

"Whoa there." The boy says at the same time as a young female voice says,

"Hey! Take it easy, we're not going to hurt you!"

Rio grabs a hold of the bed rail and freeing herself of the stranger, asks,

"Where am I? Who are you?" It was meant to come out sounding strong and asserting, but her exhaustion is apparent in the small voice that exits her.

The girl steps out of the line of sun, and Rio recognises her from the cell doorway, in fact, now that she thinks about it, she realises they were both there, but everything else is a blur.

"My name is Sakura Haruno, I'm a medical ninja, and this is my team mate Naruto Uzumaki."

The boy, Naruto, gives a small wave and a warm grin.

"You're in the Leaf's main hospital. Please," she continues, "You need to lie down, you were pretty badly concussed. I've healed your other injuries as best I can, but those ribs will need to heal by themselves."

At this diagnosis, the two nin look awkwardly at each other.

Rio splits the silence with a voice drained of emotion.

"What is this?"

Sakura tackles the vague question with some heroics and creative truth telling, as the report they had both read had stated they were not to divulge the true reason behind their mission.

_Well_, Sakura thinks, _I read it. Naruto read the first two files then went absolutely silent. That's uncharacteristic for him... _She worries.

"We've been given orders to ah... escort you around the village and assist you with anything."

"Orders from whom?" Rio questions suspiciously "Not from Ibiki I take it."

"From our Hokage, Granny Tsunade." Naruto interrupts casually, as if she would know who or what a Hokage is.

Sakura must have noticed her brow crease, because she politely fills the gap.

"The Hokage is the most elite ninja in the village. _Lady _Tsunade_", _she says with emphasis on the Lady part, slitting her eyes at Naruto, "oversees everything that goes on and is, for the most part, responsible for protecting our village."

"Yup, and you're looking at the next one! Oh yeah, Naruto Uzumaki, the sixth Hokage! Believe it!" Naruto bursts out, sticking his thumb up in front of her face.

Rio doesn't quite know how to react to this, but thankfully her response is not noticed as Sakura hauls Naruto away from her by his ear and yells into it.

"Naruto! When are you going to stop making a fool of yourself! Just sit still already!"

She spies a pair of slim black sweat pants and a brown trimmed, short sleeved qipao-style blouse. Itching to change out of her now tattered cut offs; she heads towards the fresh clothing using the rail to help her.

"Wait a second" Sakura releases Naruto. "You should rest up for at least another day or so; try not to move around too much. Those ribs need time." She presses.

"I'm starving" Rio retorts. "And I've had it with being cooped up." She says darkly.

Sakura is about to suggest ordering the hospital's room service, but Naruto jumps eagerly into the conversation.

"Great! Me too!" He enthuses, stretching his arms out behind his back. At the mention of food, his eyes have lit up like a puppy's. Turning to Sakura he informs her,

"I'll take her to Ichiraku's."

Sakura sighs in a way Rio suspects one has to know Naruto to understand, but has no objection.

"How d'ya feel about Ramen for dinner?"

"Um, fine. Naruto..."

"Mmm"

"What's ramen?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After washing and changing into the clothes left out for her, all the while listening to Naruto's shock-horror at how she has never eaten ramen before, Rio finds herself wandering down a bustling street, the blond happily pointing out his favourite places and occasionally bragging.

_This kid is an idiot. How has he survived all this time?_

She doesn't say much, only putting in one syllable words where required, taking in as much fresh air as possible without hurting her ribs too much. She wishes she had a long sleeved top on, or at least a jacket; staring at herself in the mirror earlier had shown she has bruising on the right side of her face, from her cheekbone to her temple, and still healing burns splotching her once bronze skin from her arms upwards. Even her fingers are bruised, probably from her crushing them whilst they were tied behind her back.

Naruto ceases his cheerful rambling and stops in front of a small, open air shop.

"Welcome to the best food outlet in all the Fire country!"

She stares up at the faded sign, and wonders whether she's going to get food poisoning.

_Why couldn't they just poison me in my cell? It would be far more practical. _

Seeing something in her face, Naruto's innocent smile wavers, but after a few awkward moments, Rio lifts her chin and strides purposefully into the ramen shop.

Seating themselves on two of the stools lining the counter, Naruto is greeted affectionately by the owner, and places an order for two large chicken ramen. He chats in good nature with the chef and his daughter while the ramen is being made, and Rio's mouth waters at the smell of real food. She makes herself promise not to overeat and get sick. The stuff she was fed back in the holding cells was not enough to keep her healthy, but enough to keep her alive. It tasted like cardboard and had the texture of wet cement, but it was food none the less and she was grateful for it.

Hearing her name spoken, she stirs from her flashback and finds the eyes of Naruto and the kind looking man who had addressed Naruto when they first arrived resting on her.

"Sorry... what?" She responds, slightly humiliated by her lack of focus.

_Get it together Rio. Here you are, in the centre of the town that imprisoned you with a trained killer who is so obviously loyal to this hole it's embarrassing! They could jump on you again at ay second! Don't trust anyone!_

That is the code she has always lived by, even at home in the Land of Art. But looking at Naruto, she doesn't feel the sadistic vibe that hovers around Ibiki like cigarette smoke.

The man chuckles.

"I asked if you two are on a date. I've never seen you around here before. Are you a kunoichi from the Land of Earth? No, you're too pale for that, let's see." He says, clearly enjoying the game.

Rio keeps her expression devoid of any feeling, and coolly glances at Naruto, who is apparently too interested in her response to deny the assumption.

"How bout..." He squints his eyes at her, "The Sand?"

"No sir." Her voice this time comes out as it is meant to sound; monotone, deadpan. "My name is Rio Toyohai. I'm from the Land of Art. I'm pale because I haven't seen the sun in two weeks, not since my village was sacked, my friends and family murdered, and I, kidnapped. Held here by your violent 'protectors' -"

She notices she is starting to sound a little venomous, and works to modulate her tone.

"- until they got bored of me and shrugged me off on some hopeless case who cannot talk about anything other than his love for your ramen. So no, we are not on a 'date'." she concludes, spitting out the last word like it tastes sour.

"I hope that clears up any further questions."

Naruto's face transforms from shocked, to angry, to pitiful, to guilty. The man, casting a look at Naruto that translates to, 'Yikes! Sorry for asking', busies himself with serving up their bowls. Rio is both proud and ashamed at the tension she managed to stir up.

Once the steaming ramen is placed in front of them, Naruto picks up his chop sticks and nods in appreciation to the old man. Rio stares down at the giant helping, and then in confusion, at the wooden tools beside it. Truth be told she has never used chop sticks before, so she decides to start with the spoon and drink the soup first, with the reasoning that it will be easier on her long-deprived stomach.

Naruto beside her is motionless, she sighs.

"After all that, now you're not eating?"

"What? No, I just... You okay?" He pauses, as if to say something else but doesn't quite know how to say it, so instead focuses on his food, expertly catching the slippery noodles between his chopsticks and inhaling them.

A million responses fly through her mind, most of them rude and judgemental, but she doesn't want her insecurity to come through in any way, so she just gives a small nod. Turning to her own meal, she paces herself between each spoonful, blowing on it to watch the clear liquid ripple.

Naruto finishes his almost instantly, and begins to order a second, but Rio intervenes.

"Look, I can't eat all this; you can have mine if you want."

He looks her over appraisingly, if not somewhat cautiously.

"Um, thanks, but you should really eat that, you're too... skinny." He lets the sentence hang.

Rio knows she's lost more weight over the past fortnight than what is healthy, but she still takes offense; it's not as if she chose to be this way.

"Suit yourself, but I'm telling you, I can't eat all this." She repeats, lifting another spoonful of broth to her lips.

"Don't you worry Miss."

The old man suddenly reappears over the counter, giving them both a fright.

"Naruto never lets anything here go to waste."

He smiles genuinely at her. Rio's heart thumps painfully in her chest at how easily he forgave her. She lowers her head, shame washing over her.

Her parents had always said she was too cynical, her sarcastic remarks leading them to believe she had a cold heart. Rio knew better; she would endure the lectures about how Cinari was compassionate and better accepted in the village, and then pour her heart out over her beloved instruments when she was alone. However, her outward appearance was what distinguished her from others, and was probably the reason Orochimaru had chosen her at a young age to bear the seal. She never got involved in disputes, and was known by barely any, which suited him. He had been the one to personally perform the Jutsu, burning the black mark into her skin.

Having lost her appetite, she pushes her bowl towards Naruto, averting his eyes, and at the same time asks so he doesn't have a chance to object,

"So where am I staying from here on out? I take it I can't go home."

Naruto clears his throat.

"I suppose I should make this clear for you now eh? You are not allowed to leave, but other than that, you can do whatever you want. I'll take you to your new place after this." He says, not meeting her eyes either.

"Am I really so much of a threat?!" Rio's anger bubbles, but she tries to temper it. Neither Naruto nor the old man deserves her resentment or exhaustion-spurred rants.

Naruto pretends he cannot answer due to having his mouth full, Rio hadn't really been expecting an answer so she just looks on in amazement at how he drinks down the hot fluid in three gulps.

_Forget all those Jutsus; this is a superhuman act in itself!_

After a satisfied, slightly theatric sigh, Naruto pays the content chef, and squeezing her eyes shut against the distress in her ribcage, Rio slides herself off the stool. Naruto observes her, evaluating whether or not she will be able to walk all the way to her apartment. He tries to slide his arm around her waist, but she smacks him away and keeping her discomfort under wraps, they leave the restaurant.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

They walk in silence through the town coloured purple by twilight, Naruto waving and greeting acquaintances. They pass shops, glittering streams and brightly lit bars. Rio sees many olive coloured flak jackets and Leaf headbands, but her gaze does not linger.

They amble slowly for a solid twenty minutes (Rio suspecting mostly for her benefit) before they reach an old concrete building. It has archways on all levels and is painted a faded orange. Naruto ushers her in through the main door like he can't wait to get rid of her. They traipse up four flights of stairs, Rio having to stop after the second and take deep breathes, ribs burning and legs shaking from suddenly having to do so much work.

Naruto wears an uncomfortable expression, but Rio turns her back on him, not wanting him to try an offer a piggy back. There is one door per level, but they do not come across any other people. On reaching the top floor, Naruto fishes a key out from his pocket and unlocks the wooden door. It makes a pleasant creak, like it is trying to welcome its new inhabitant.

The interior is better than Rio expected. Spacious, with wooden flooring, a single bed, two archways framing wide windows, a small kitchen, a built in closet and a door leading to a bathroom. The walls however, are concrete, and remind her too much of her stay in the cell. Realising Naruto in his efforts to be her guide, might be intending to stay, she quickly places herself about a metre in front of him and in her deadpan voice says,

"Goodnight."

"Huh? Oh, right. Well, there's clothes and stuff already here, so I'll just, um..."

She raises an eyebrow.

"Right. Fine, goodnight." He says, turning his nose up and moving to leave. Just before he shuts the door he yells over his shoulder,

"See you tomorrow!" like it is going to be routine.

She quickly goes to a window and checks that he is really withdrawing. Fortunately, she sees him walking swiftly back the way they came, hands in pockets and shoulders hunched like its cold.

_Strange, I thought it was warm out... Whatever, he's weird. A bit cute, oh shut up Rio._

Left alone, she opens the closet and sifts through the clothes. Conclusion: None very interesting. Next she goes to the bathroom and brushes her teeth. She lifts her top and eyes up the bruising in the mirror, scrutinising how long it will take for it to go away. After completing everything possible in the apartment, she sits on her bed fidgeting, until the sun seeps out and the walls turn the room cold.

_I can't sit here like this._

She grabs her keys and a black jacket that crosses at the front but doesn't actually do up and would have run out the door had she been able to. Walking down the stairs is easier than the ascent and she hastily makes it to the front door without encountering any of her neighbours.

Her pace is choppy as she pushes through the pain and past shops closing for the night. She has no idea where she is going, but she doesn't want to be on her own. She thinks about trying to make a break for it, but her complaining ribs convince her to wait at least a little longer. The night is starting to get cold, and she thinks about turning back when she sees a white blur duck out of her line of sight.

_It's just my imagination, if anyone was going to be following me it would be Naruto, and then it would be an orange blur._

She turns another corner but suddenly stops, hearing the pumping sound of live rock music. She grins, and follows the noise like a hound following a scent trail.

The source of the amateur band originates at a grimy looking bar, and seeing no bouncer at the door to stop her, she jostles through a throng of loudly laughing men and women to enter. Despite the outward appearance, the bar is thriving. Being shorter than most girls her age, Rio cannot see over the sea of heads and swaying bodies. Someone spills their drink on the arm of her jacket, and looking up in distaste sees an unkempt man looming over her.

"Ssssu sorry" He slurs through a lop-sided grin, still swaying with the clashing symbols and twanging bass guitar.

Rio just stares at him.

"Ma-I-buy-sss-uh-dwrink?"

_Apparently it's the best pain-killer I'm gonna get._

She nods unsmiling at the man, and follows him to the bar. The young bartender doesn't look twice at her as he serves up a glass of some light green concoction. She downs it in three swigs, gently setting it back on the bar.

"Whoa, we got a live one!" a less intoxicated man yells excitedly.

Rio makes a face in disgust.

"Hey settle down! I don't want it reaching the authorities that I'm serving to minors!" yells the barman.

The man who originally bought her the apple flavoured drink seems to have fallen asleep on the counter, which comes as a disappointment to Rio; she had hoped she could get a few more drinks out of him.

Suddenly three shot glasses are placed in front of her, and the barman winks. Leaning over, he places his lips by her ear so she can hear him without him having to yell,  
"I used to have it tough too." he says. "Would've killed to been able to get my hands on some decent liquor."

He withdraws with a sympathetic smile and serves a couple who, at a glance, appear to have morphed into one another.

The drummer abusing the symbols goes another round as Rio discovers she's a natural at consuming alcohol, quickly swilling down the dark, strong smelling booze.

She sits quietly at her stool, trying to stop thinking but unable to.

_Why am I drinking all of a sudden? What am I doing in a bar? I'm underage. Men keep buying me things, have I suddenly become ten times more attractive?_

All these questions which would've been a serious cause for concern two weeks ago, except for maybe the last one, somehow no longer matter. Rio was the introverted, sceptical one. Her sister Cinari was the pretty one. Rio hadn't thought so, but then again, neither of them were ever very close.

A very drunk, very leathery man starts screaming at them. Suddenly feeling contemptuous at his lack of musical ability, Rio leaves her seat to tell him to shut up. She does her best to get to him, but the crush of larger bodies prevents it.

_Where am I going again? Apparently it's... Not important..._

She starts moving with the blaring music; it doesn't feel as right as when she dances to her music, but she finds herself entertained.

_Fun! Fun, finally fun! Hey! There's that white blur again! Is that a cat?_

The stream of consciousness comes as quickly as it goes, and she continues to bounce to the beat, eyes closed, head tilted up to the ceiling.

Suddenly there's an awful screeching sound, and the crowd gives a mass gasp, some start laughing. Having stopped moving, Rio can shove and wind through people to the front, where the lead singer has passed out. The other band members are trying to haul him off the stage, and in a spur of confidence, Rio jumps up, lowers the mic to her height, and spreads her hands wide, as if reaching above the audience.

"Hey! Wha-d-ya thunk yur doin'?"

She hears someone shout. But the rest of the crowd seem to be waiting for her, so she laughs a short, drunken laugh and begins her song.

Everything is out of focus, but the dancers are back to violently throwing themselves onto the pounding floor. The drums, guitars, and keyboard inject shots of divine chaos into each body, her silver chakra trembling over the worn equipment. Her modified chakra is used to the euphoric state it is exercised in when she is particularly emotive, but it resonates in the music, declaring the pleasure and pain in her heart.

Right now, she feels reckless, angry, loud.

* * *

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Ugh, Sakura! I swear I've only been sleeping a few hours!" Naruto complains, still half asleep and dreading the Haruno wrath he will face when he opens the door.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Ok, I know! We've been through this, gimme a minute."

"Naruto Uzumaki!" A male voice says formally from the landing.

Fully awake, Naruto opens the door to reveal three white cloaked, masked ANBU on his doorstep.

"What's going on?" Naruto asks in confusion, slightly alarmed at the sight of not one, but three ANBU.

"Your charge is causing unrest using her modified chakra in the village. Please subdue her before we have to; our forces are standing by." One of the unmoving ANBU firmly states.

"Wha... Rio."

Naruto's insides turn cold at the prospect of Rio being dragged off by one of the Leaf's assassination and tactical squad, as if she needs any more reason to hate and fear his home.

He is out of his apartment in two minutes flat, jumping over rooftops after the ANBU.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As Naruto closes in on the loud, waily music blaring out of a derelict bar, he notices how it is surrounded by a crowd of people pushing to get in. He drops from the building he was standing on, and realises the ANBU have disappeared. Steeling his resolve for whatever he may find inside, he elbows his way through the whispering people, all anxious to peek inside.

He is met with no resistance at the door, and but cannot get any farther in, the bar is too crowded to advance even a step. He can hear the sound of a young female voice ringing through the assortment of perfectly warped notes, and decides to use the technique Kakashi Sensei had taught Team 7 after their fight with Zabuza.

Focusing the chakra to his feet is easy now, and he quickly scales the wall, looking for panic amongst the dancers or a fight. However, he nearly loses his grip when he sees her on the stage; shiny silver chakra vibrating over each instrument like it is the only thing holding them together. Naruto frowns when he sees a very drunk Rio staggering over her own feet as she picks up a drumstick and beats a single drum in a staccato solo, howling short single words with the rhythm.

She is twirling wildly now on the stage, grinning like a madman. Naruto folds his arms slowly, disapproval written plainly on his face, but he cannot help the thought,

_She's actually... kinda good._

Rio finishes the song with a clash of symbols, takes the applause and gives a loud whoop. She heads to the side of the stage, and Naruto walks right over the ceiling to retrieve her.

He finds her with one arm over the shoulder of some young barman, who has a hand around her middle. Even though Naruto can see he is only doing it to keep her upright, the sight of it makes him bitter.

_Hey, she's my charge!_

He somersaults off the wall and lands neatly by her side. Her grin falls immediately, and the barman whispers a question in her ear.

"Buzzkill." She replies, looking lazily at Naruto.

"What are you doing!" Naruto demands.

"Getting verrr inebriated, nnnd having fun wis people who act-shoo-aly like me." Rio honestly says in the monotone Naruto has become accustomed to in a few short hours.

He grabs her by the wrist and pulls her towards the door.

She waves apologetically to the barman and lets herself be hauled out of the rowdy bar.

They shove through the curious crowd, and after they round a corner, Rio pulls herself free and stops.

"What d'yu do that for? I was jusss makin' some friends." She pouts.

"You're drunk. Come on, I'm taking you home." Naruto replies sternly.

Rio's eyes widen, pupils dilated, and she starts laughing hysterically ,backing up against the wall of a flyer-covered shop wall.

"Ahh, seriously, you need to sleep. Wait, are you..."

Rio laughs have turned into sobs, and she slides down the walls, gasping for breath. After a moment, Naruto sits down cross legged next to her. She pulls her legs to her chest, wincing slightly, and rests her head on her knees.

"Ssss too much." She mutters.

"What is?" Naruto asks softly.

Raising her head, she yells at the stars, "All of this! I don't understand!"

Her voice breaks at the end and she shakes her head, letting in drop again.

_She really doesn't get it. I think she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. _

Seeming to have herself together again, she stands, using the wall for support. Naruto finds he is surprised and impressed at her determination.

Seeing she is struggling to keep her eyes open, he succeeds this time in securing an arm around her waist. She leans onto him, practically asleep already.

When they reach the arched building, Rio insists on walking up the stairs herself again, and upon reaching the fourth floor, tries to unlock the door with shaking hands. Naruto deftly snatches the keys off her and in one swift movement, slides the key into the hole and clicks open the lock with a slight tisk.

Rio collapses fully dressed onto the bed. Naruto feels odd as he pulls a blanket over her, never having occasion to look after someone before. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he pulls off her sandals, unintentionally noticing little things like how wisps of her dark hair tickle her cheekbones, and how her eyelashes cast shadows under her eyes. He brushes the hair off of her face, feeling the rough skin where the fire had tarnished it and how his chest clenches in reaction.

Rio makes a small sound and reaches her hand up to her face. Her fingers find Naruto's, and he starts to pull away when her bruised ones curl around his. He stays absolutely still, unsure of what to do, unsure of his own feelings. Her light breath on his hand sends a tingle up his arm, and in his surprise he jolts up. The bed creaks, and Rio's eye's crinkle, but her hand falls back on the pillow and she sleeps on.

Suddenly feeling invasive, Naruto goes to the kitchen and settles down on one of the two wooden chairs. Thoughts of what just happened flicker across his mind. It could've been seconds, minutes or hours, but eventually he drifts off.

* * *

"_Naruto." A deep bass voice sounds in a dark abyss of Naruto's soul._

"_Kyuubi. I was wondering when you'd want to talk again." Naruto replies, standing in his usual place in front of the gates imprisoning the Nine-Tails._

"_I do not pay social visits. You are here because I feel something dangerous close by, but I see you are not involved in another life-threatening fight as you so often inflict upon us. Tell me, what is this destructive chakra I sense?"_

"_Not that's it's really any of your business-"_

"_Of course it's my business, I live in you!" He bellows._

"_But it's the Village Hidden in Art's modified chakra, sealed inside a host."_

"_Ahh, I should be very interested to see how this turns out. How did the Leaf come by such a power?" The Kyuubi taunts._

"_Now that really is none of your business." Naruto says less confidently._

"_Ha! Taken by force, now I understand. You feel guilty. Let me see now..." The Kyuubi probes deeper into Naruto's memories._

"_Hmmmm, yes very interesting. Rio Toyohai. She's pretty," and upon seeing Naruto face turned to the reflections in the ankle deep water – "but you already know that." _

_The booming laugh echoes throughout the murky shadowed confines. _

"_Let me give you a piece of advice. If your village has hurt her, she will hate you forever. I can feel the hostility festering in her chakra even now, and just like your friend Sasuke, she will turn on you too. Do not pain yourself with these conflicting emotions you are so fond of."_

"_Kyuubi." Naruto responds diplomatically, used to the Nine-Tails pessimism. _

"_If you say she feels hatred for the Leaf then I will believe you. But I'm going to save her, just like Sasuke. Believe it!" _


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Ughh!" Rio wakes up with a loud groan, and pulls the covers up over her head. She feels absolutely nauseous, and her head is still pounding the beat of her last song.

_Oh man... What did I do last night?_

Hearing a scraping sound, and still slightly confused, she mumbles,

"Shhhh, suggest you come back later Ibiki, even I can't make sense of what I'm thinking right now."

"Well what d'ya expect? You drank half the alcohol in that bar last night."

"Have you been inhaling helium Ibiki? You sound squeakier."

"I do not sound squeaky!"

A moment later an exasperated sigh sounds next to her; she peeks out from under the downy cover. Naruto sits with his back to her on a wooden chair, but he swivels around, straddling it like a saddle. She turns bright red, and hides her face under the sheets again.

_Better get it out of the way early..._ She thinks, regret mixed with liquor swimming around in her stomach.

"I am so sorry about last night. You deserve a better mission than having to get up at some ungodly hour to drag a drunken teenager out of her own disaster."

Her unexpected and somewhat muffled apology shocks Naruto, and he can't help but smile in relief at the fact that Rio is not all bite. On the down-side, she definitely looks worse this morning, the bruise on her face going purply-green, and her night on the town showing in deep sets beneath her eyes.

"I was offered this mission. I could've turned it down, but I didn't." He confesses.

"Speaking of 'mission'," Rio folds back the sheets once more, "what exactly is it? Because I'm not buying the whole 'VIP' treatment."

"Um, we want to get to know you. To show you that our village isn't the genocide-committing torturers you think we are." It comes out like a question.

Rio face darkens, and she moves to cover her head again, but Naruto grabs a handful of sheets and prevents her.

"The Leaf did not burn your home; that was already happening by the time our forces got there. We know you posses the seal that carries the secret to modified chakra. They only took you because it seemed like you were working for an enemy of ours and may have done that to your own village to get rid of the evidence." Naruto says sincerely, his bright blue eyes trying to convey the truth.

"Look can we not talk about it please?" Rio says in a strained voice and rubbing her eyes.

"I don't believe you, but you are right about the enemy part, my parents worked for Orochimaru."

_Back to the deadpan. _Thinks Naruto, internally sighing in frustration at how she closes herself off.

"But despite _your _affiliation, I actually don't mind you," She claims in a begrudging tone, "so can we just pretend what you saw last night-" she pauses, as if something has just occurred to her. It gets Naruto's attention, thinking she might remember their little moment.

"or very early this morning, didn't happen?"

Naruto decides to agree, at least that way she'll hopefully be more open with him.

"Sure, but as a warning, everyone would've heard about your village by now, and even though Granny Tsunade ordered your freedom, there are probably people who aren't comfortable with you walking around our village, so just try not to attract attention ok?"

"Fine."

A moment of awkward silence passes between them, until Rio cannot bear the grating behind her eyes.

"Well, I need an aspirin. Or maybe some morphine..."

Naruto jumps at the chance to be active, talking as he leaps into the kitchen.

"I think I saw some painkillers in a cupboard in here, hang on a minute..."

The sound of pans falling out of their places makes Rio give an encore of groans. She pulls herself vertical, waits for the room to right itself, and then touches her feet still to the wooden floor.

Naruto reappears offering two small pills and a glass of water. She gives a small nod in appreciation, which makes her dizzy, but manages to down the aspirin without choking... or vomiting.

The curtains are pulled apart, the sun promising a cheerful day. Even though the light feels like needles pressing into her brain, the possibility of vitamin D warms her heart.

Naruto stretches his arms behind his back; Rio notices the familiar gesture from earlier, and he announces,

"I've gotta get some training done today, so is there anything here for breakfast?" She picks up a trace of childish glee in his voice.

"No idea. Have a look, take whatever you want." She says, waving her hand in a nonchalant way.

"Haha! Awesome!" Naruto yells in a way that Rio has never seen anyone do in anticipation of a meal.

He starts rattling through the fridge and cupboard, and she hears him settle at the table. Taking a deep breath she stands, tests her balance, and drags the chair Naruto had moved back to the kitchen.

He's already munching away at some instant noodles –

_Of course._

And she braces herself for the smell of food.

"D'ya want anything?" He asks through a mouthful.

She simply shakes her head, placing a hand on her stomach to indicate she's not up to it, and sits in silence with him.

_I think I'm starting to get her; she just doesn't like being left alone after all that time the interrogation cells. _Naruto thinks.

_Maybe that's why she went crazy last night. She was only trying to get away from her own thoughts. _

"I know how you feel." He says after a few minutes.

"No you don't." Rio replies with certainty, staring into space.

"I lost my parents too."

Her head snaps up.

"They were killed, and I was alone for a long time before someone befriended me."

"And you think you're that person." The acrimony in her voice could sharpen a dull blade.

"I'm going to get changed." She angrily rises and he hears the closet door thrown open.

_Oh nice going Naruto. _He criticises himself.

He rifles through his ninja gear while he waits for her to finish her shower, planning his training for the day.

The sun is shining brightly through the two arched windows by the time she emerges wearing a loose-fitting long sleeved khaki shirt with some high-waisted boy-leg shorts, and regular black sandals. Her dark, wavy hair has been parted over the side in attempt to hide her bruise, a fact that makes the pit of Naruto's stomach burn.

"So what kind of training are you doing?" She asks staring him straight in the eye, but he can tell she is slightly unnerved at the prospect.

"Oh, you know, just some boring stuff, focusing chakra, maybe some target practice..."

She thinks about this for a minute, then nodding slowly says,

"Okay, well, are you ready? I should've offered you a shower." She includes as an after-thought.

"Na, it's ok." Then having a great idea, he adds,

"Real ninjas practice their chakra control standing on water anyways."

"I get it, real stakes."

"Yep, pretty much." Naruto agrees, obviously chuffed at his avoiding the awkward situation.

"So you're planning on falling in? Hey! I'm the hung-over one and you're acting slower than me" Rio half laughs, already standing in the doorway.

"You coming?"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"And then I was like, 'Yeah? Well I can see why you guys got put in the same team; Shino can use the lice on your dog!'"

Strolling through the lively village Naruto laughs at a memory of his childhood, but Rio loses focus as soon as she sees the glossy dark wood and fresh steel strings pulling her towards the dusty window like a magnet.

"Hey, are you listening? Oh, wow." He too takes in the rich colour of the divine instrument. Looking between her straight face and the guitar, he asks,

"Do you wanna play it?"

She nods, and Naruto walks into the store leaving her outside. After a second of hesitation, heeding Naruto's warning, she cautiously steps into the store, a light chime serving as a doorbell ringing delicately.

Breathing in the smell of polish and wax, she runs her hand over tambourines and shiny flutes, pressing her bruised fingers into the small holes. Naruto reappears carrying the coffee coloured guitar she had been mesmerised by. She takes it carefully from his hands and perches on the edge of a drum stool. The beautiful instrument suits her small frame, and she doesn't even have to think about what she will play before she is lost in a melody.

Her eyes close out of habit, and she gracefully falls into the white pit of consciousness that knows exactly how her fingers will read and translate the Braille that her heart pumps out. She hums a harmony and finishes on a slow strum. Letting out a breath she didn't realise she was holding, she rejoins the world.

The shopkeeper stands directly in front of her with his arms folded, and Naruto, with his mouth hanging open. He fidgets, hopping from one foot to the other; unsure of how the older man will react, especially since there is a sign in the window clearly depicting the words: Do Not Touch The Display Instruments.

Cheeks flushing, Rio gets to her feet and reluctantly hands the guitar back to the owner, who takes it wordlessly.

"Did you make this?!"

The question slips out before she can think about how he may interpret the disbelief in her voice.

"It's beautiful." She adds bashfully.

"Tell me, what is your name? Where did you learn to play like that?" The greying stubble on his chin folds in as he tightens his mouth.

"My name is Rio, and umm, no one. I mean, I'm self taught." She answers guardedly.

"Interesting." He looks closely at the guitar, Rio afraid he will accuse her of damaging it. Then much to her astonishment, he holds it out for her.

"Take it, it's yours."

"But... I can't afford it." She stammers.

"I made this instrument for a person with a certain vision and," he leans over, pressing a grubby, tapered finger to his ear, hisses, "it tells me it has many fights to pick with you."

"Ummm..." Rio tries not to scrunch her nose up at his foul breath.

_This guy's lost it._

"All the payment I ask is for you to play me one more song."

Her eyes flit from the man's shockingly blue ones, so light they're practically white, to the acoustic guitar. His eyes are not of the kind sort, and from the look of the neglected shop, he has driven away many customers for not meeting his standards.

_Or maybe solely from his wacko act..._

Her fingers clasp firmly around the neck and nodding sternly, she sits back down and folds herself over the crafted wood.

Looking up at Naruto, at his earnest face, she raises her voice and strums out a complicated pattern, challenging but involuntarily exposing a small amount of her vulnerability. Instinct guides her fingers over the ringing strings; the ghost of her past coils in her throat, but she lets the lyrics fall from her mouth, combining structure with a touch of wildness.

"_Sea of reflection, bones in the ocean, threw myself on the shore, worn down but not out..._"

When she ends this song, the man's eyes are lit up even brighter than before, a beacon in the endless sea of speculation she had sung about. He abruptly gets up and starts throwing things off shelves muttering to himself.

"Do you think I upset him?"

"Rio..." Naruto says in a deep tone, "You're really good."

"Thanks, no one at home seems... seemed to think so until I got this." She points at her midriff, where the seal is hidden. Her elated mood greatly retreats, replaced by that cold iron weight in her chest.

Suddenly, a black shadow leaps over a shelf at Naruto, hitting him squarely in the face.

He pulls the attacker from his head, throwing it to the floor. A black guitar bag lies in a rumpled heap. Rio picks it up, shaking dust off it.

"Ha! Thanks!" She feels a little of the weight dissipate as she looks at Naruto's ruffled hair.

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Naruto yells.

They hear the door click to what Rio can only assume is the old musician's workroom, and they realise he's not going to see them off.

Upon closer inspection, there are faint traces of bronze or some caramel tint running in thin lines through the sanded down grooves of the wood. She kneels on the floor and carefully places the instrument in its bag, pulling at the stiff zips.

"They won't budge!" She tells Naruto in disappointment.

"Here." Naruto reaches around her shoulders and closes his hands around hers.

"Try pushing them backwards first... there you go." The bag closes smoothly.

Head next to hers, she looks out of the corner of her eye to find him doing the same. They both dart away from each other in a split second.

"We should g-"

"Yeah."

Ignoring Naruto's offer of help again, she gets to her feet.

"Thankyou!" She yells pointlessly towards the back room – no response.

_What did he mean "It has many fights to pick with me"? He better not have shrugged some broken instrument off on me. Maybe people think it's cursed. That could be exciting. _She thinks optimistically.

"Come on, at this rate the sun'll be set by the time I actually get some training done." Naruto says, looking off into the distance.

_He's been very quiet, did that actually just happen? Nobody just 'gives' expensive equipment away. This guitar could easily bring in, well enough to save that shop. Can't say the same for its keeper though. Then again, I won't be redeemed for my abilities either._

Hearing the chime tinkle behind them as the door closes, Rio slings her newly acquired beauty over her back, and she shadows Naruto to his training grounds.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Despite her trying to ignore him and focus on tuning her guitar, her eyes keep finding their back to Naruto.

_I am not staring at him. _She sternly tells herself, absentmindedly plucking a single string

_Anyone would gawk that. I mean, he is walking on water._

She shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Naruto has been what looks like focusing chakra in his hand to gather balls of water and throw them as far as he can. She can tell whenever he begins to make a new ball, because her hair whips around her face as the wind picks up.

She has been sitting cross legged on the grass by the river for about three hours. Giving up on the guitar for the moment, she stretches her legs out and lowers herself to the cool ground, feeling the grass sprouts between her fingers and the sun on her face. A shiver of pleasure runs down her spine, and for a second, she is back in the Land of Art, father painting in the garden, mother practising her ancient violin.

"Gahhhhh!" A loud splash accompanies the shout, and Rio peers sideways and the frothing surface of the bubbling river.

Hands grasp the cobble stone edge bordering the water, and Naruto hauls himself out, their eyes meeting for a second, each portraying their own vulnerability before Naruto laughs it off and shakes his yellow hair out.  
Rio listens to his squelching steps as he approaches.

"Ahhh! How could I lose focus like that!"

He unzips his brightly coloured jacket and lays it out to dry, revealing a black mesh t-shirt and a well-sculpted chest.

Her body tenses as he lies down next to her with a contented sigh, undeterred by the fact that he soaking wet.

"How do you do it?"

"Hmm? Do what?"

"That thing you were doing last night, controlling all those instruments at once."

"Oh.."

"Nahh, you don't have to tell me..." He throws the sentence up in the air which, from years of living with a sister who liked to know everything about everybody, Rio is well aware really means, 'but I really want to know and will keep on about it even if I have to stick my hand down your throat and pry the truth from your oesophagus.'

Exhaling loudly in defeat, she sits back up, and folding her legs under her she starts to pull the grass out in clumps.

"Don't do that." He sits up too and brushes the grass from her hands.

"What? Why?" Are the only things she can think to say when his calloused fingers are making her palms tingle.

"It's just... Stop hurting the plants."

"Stop hurting the plants!?" She laughs. "What? The ninja has a soft spot for shrubbery?"

"I like to water plants in my spare time, so what?" He says defiantly.

"Nothing. I just thought your lives were all, 'train, fight, kill, die."

He gives her an odd look. She punches him lightly on the arm.

"Hey!"

"But apparently is it not."

Naruto finds himself drawn in by how the sun makes her eyes lighter, and Rio, how his smile is so full of joy. She is overcome by the desire to press her lips to his, to try to absorb some of his vitality and happiness, and that's exactly the reason she keeps talking and the words are out of her mouth before she can take them back.

"Orochimaru was the only one who could perform the sealing due to his own chakra already being so modified. When he placed the seal on me I didn't know what it entailed, but I suddenly had all this chakra and nothing to do with it. So I taught myself how to play lots of instruments simultaneously."

_Stupid Rio! Stupid! You just told him! Change the subject, he'll probably forget._

"So you've never... been trained... to use it for..."

She shoots him a sharp look.

"I thought we agreed not to talk about this. But seeing as you're going to report every word of this to your Granny what's-her-face and she'll just be suspicious if I don't tell you, no, I haven't. Violence... _real_ violence I mean, it just isn't me." She shrugs, ignoring Naruto's request and throwing an accumulated pile of grass into the river.

"I don't know why Orochimaru didn't train me immediately, but I'm glad he didn't." She confesses, staring hard at the ground.

"Hmm, but you're pretty good at manipulating it though right?"

"I don't know, I've never really tested it."

"Well, let's try it. Right now."

"What!?" Rio nearly shouts in alarm.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to attack you or anything, I just want to see if you can do this."

He beckons her towards the water, offering her a hand up.

"Ok, I think everyone under the age of five has tried to tread on water, myself included, and reached the conclusion that it is not possible, at least not for us 'ordinary people'."She looks dubiously at his hand, rejects it and rises by herself.

"Yeah well, don't feel bad if you can't do this; I mean, I won't blame you, I've had years of hard training." Naruto says, taking on a bragging tone.

Rio takes it as a challenge.

"Get on with it."

Naruto claps his hands together in a hand sign, and shouts "Clone Jutsu!".

Rio tries and fails to keep her being taken aback hidden at an exact replica of Naruto appearing next to him. The original Naruto holds his palm out in front of him, and the wind picks up as the clone starts erratically moving his hands in an unfollowable pattern around it. A blue globe of vibrating chakra grows in Naruto's hand, (obviously a well-practiced jutsu), until the clone disappears in a swift '_puff'. _

Naruto lowers his hand to the water, and it moves away from the swirling energy, sparkling mist forming an arcing rainbow. He spares a grin at Rio, having succeeded in impressing her, and then diffuses the jutsu.

"Think you can give that a go?"

Rio stares at her own palms, brow furrowing. Chakra on demand is so much harder than when it comes naturally, like in her music.

"How? What do you do?"

Naruto places one hand around her right rope-burned wrist and the other under her hand. Her instincts make her instantly try to pull away, but Naruto keeps his hold.

"You seriously think I'm gonna hurt you? Yeah, ok, I disagree with Ibiki's methods, but I'm not about to forsake my homeland for it."

"That's the entire point! You follow orders! So it doesn't matter what you think! I know you want to unlock the seal as much as he does."

"Pffft! I don't know what you've heard, but ask anyone; I follow my own beliefs. My nindo, my ninja way, never give up! Believe it!"

"Your jacket is dry." Rio defaults to her monotone voice, making Naruto give a frustrated growl. Letting go of her wrist, he picks up his jacket and stalks off without looking back.

_Fine! Whatever! She can think what she wants. I've tried the nice guy approach! If she doesn't want to talk to me, then... well, FINE! Believe it! I don't care! Granny Tsunade will just have to wait._

"I'm going home to get changed, I'll find you later." He says, leaving Rio with her stomach growling and a thread bare memory of how to get back to her apartment.

_What did I say?! He grabbed me and I just... oh hell what did I say! _


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

After many wrong turns and having to double back, Rio finally reaches her apartment block. She hobbles up the staircase as fast as she can, teeth clenched and fingers firmly grasping the banister. Inside her room, she fishes some miso and tofu soup out of the fridge, which is conveniently well stocked for her, and after impatiently heating it through in a pot, fills her grumbling stomach.

She retrieves her guitar and finishes tuning it, grumping at herself for how easily done it was and strums out a few simple chords. Pushing the argument with Naruto out of her mind, she makes up a quick, quirky song. She finds herself giggling at her own double meanings and ironies, and lets herself loose over the gleaming instrument.

* * *

Naruto can hear her siren voice from outside the building. Mumbling something about noise control, he ascends the stairs. He finds her loudly banging upside down pots, and glasses filled to different heights with an assortment of kitchen tools. Her warbling voice breaks into laughter and picks up again; singing just for the hell of it, not attempting to execute perfect notes. The guitar leans in a corner of the grey concrete wall and its strings are wielded by an almost translucent mist of silver. Still brooding in his stubbornness, he clearly states his presence by tapping his foot purposefully out of time with the beat.

The already offbeat tune immediately stops, and Rio turns around in surprise but with the ghost of a fervent smile still shadowed in her expression. Standing barefoot on the pale beige lino, a slight sheen of sweat covers her face and collarbone. In her element, shoulder length hair dishevelled and sticking to her cheekbones and neck, Naruto's words catch in his throat, heart tightening.

"Ah he..." Rio awkwardly tries to fill the silence, scratching the back of her head lightly with a chopstick, the latest makeshift drumstick.

Naruto, irked by his own uncertainty of his feelings for her, uses her own defence.

_My turn to use the deadpan._

"Time for a check-up. Sakura's waiting for us."

Whatever had been tilting Rio's mood towards slightly content disappears entirely, as she realises he is still upset about earlier. She shrugs and walks past him staring coldly at the bathroom.

_Whatever I said, how can he possibly think he has any right to be angry with me?! Me!_

After splashing her face with water, she refuses to look at Naruto all the way to the hospital, walking in line, but as far away from him as possible.

* * *

"What have you been doing?! Gymnastics!" Sakura berates Rio.

Despite getting told off, Rio is actually glad to be talking to someone again.

"Sorry, I guess I haven't been focused on getting better..."

"Well keep it up! You may well break the rest of them at the rate you're going!"

Turning on Naruto she transfers her anger and exasperation.

"How could you let her do this to herself?! I know _you_ love to push your body to its limits, but she is not you!"

Naruto looks hurt. Rio can't help feeling bad.

"Sakura, really, he had nothing to do with it. I can take responsibility for myself."

Naruto looks up, not at Rio, but as if he is listening harder.

"Huh, what's going on with you two?"

"What! Nothing Sakura! Nothing's going on! Why would we have anything going on?!" Naruto blurts out in a rush.

Sakura and Rio both look dubiously at him.

"We got into a fight about morals versus priority and loyalty." Rio calmly states. "Now I'm getting the silent treatment."

"You're getting the silent treatment?!" Naruto cries incredulously. "You haven't said a word to me since then!"

"Only because I knew you would want to fight back!" She counters.

"Hey! Stop it! Both of you!" Sakura bellows, restoring order. "There are people trying to sleep in this ward!"

Naruto and Rio give out identical 'hmphs'.

"I'm going to get some ointment for you to put on your bruises."

"And maybe some more painkillers..." Naruto cuts in, earning himself a murderous look from Rio and a questioning one from Sakura.

"Ok... But if I come back and you two are arguing again I'll keep _you_ here" She says looking sternly at Rio,

"and I'll send you to Lady Tsunade Naruto. Got it?"

"Yeah yeah whatever." Naruto grumbles.

"Good." Sakura says smiling sweetly, leaving the room.

"You have to work with that?"

Sitting with her legs hanging over the side of the hospital bed, Rio inspects her nails.

Naruto doesn't reply immediately.

"You're wrong you know, I don't only want to fight." He says quietly.

Rio snorts.

"You mean you signed up for the life of a Shinobi to, what? Become a saint?"

"No! I want to be Hokage to protect the people I love!"

He loses his patience and slams his hands down on either side of her. Rio's eyes widen and her heart beats faster, but only because of the sudden proximity. Her eyes travel down to his lips and then back up to his fiery eyes; she blushes, hoping he doesn't pick up on her checking him out.

At that precise moment, Sakura walks back into the room, looking aghast at Naruto.

Rio throws her head back and starts laughing.

Sakura's face becomes as pink as her hair.

"NARUTO!"


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

After fifteen minutes of being vehemently vocally abused by Sakura, Naruto departs to see Tsunade like a child sent to the principal's office.

"My shift finishes in an hour, then I'm going to have dinner with some friends if you want to come."

Rio nods her head, thinking about how she handled being left to her own devices the previous night.

"Is there anything I can do here to help? I like to be working."

"Sure! There's always work here." Sakura nods in surprise.

"I'm a bit squeamish though, so..."

Sakura finds herself completely taken aback at Rio's personality, having expected her to be silent and jumpy, or spiteful and accusing, but quickly sets her to work unpacking and organising fresh supplies.

* * *

"Right, well, that's good. We're done here." She announces with satisfaction to Rio.

"Here, the ointments and painkillers are inside."She extends her arm, offering a brown paper bag sealed with tape.

Rio rises from where she was kneeling by some cupboards, brushes at herself off and takes the bag from her.

"Great. Lead the way. Oh, but I don't have any money." She looks marginally embarrassed.

"Hey, no worries. You're the village's guest, your costs are covered."

"I'd rather consider it compensation." Rio darkly whispers under her breath.

* * *

Naruto reluctantly knocks on Tsunade's door, and hears the firm "Enter" in response.

His footsteps make pleasant taps on the wooden floorboards as he passes into the office, but to him, they sound like nails being hammered into a coffin.

"Naruto." Tsunade exclaims in disbelief.

"We were not expecting you so soon."

A brief pause passes between them; Naruto stares at the floor. Tsunade however, cuts straight to business.

"Have you –"

"Sakura sent me."

"Why? Is Rio resisting? I heard she made quite a scene last night."

"She's just..."

Tsunade raises an eyebrow.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that! She's just really argumentative!"

"Sounds like somebody I know..."

"I tried to teach her Rasangan and she –"

"You what?!" Tsunade looms over her desk in a fury.

"Do you understand what she could do with that technique?! I cannot believe you would be so irresponsible Naruto!"

"Hey it's not a big deal! She said she's not into violence. She couldn't do it anyway."

Tsunade scrunches her fingers up on the desk, dropping and shaking her head.

"Naruto. Why did Sakura send you here?"

"Ahhh, we got into a fight in the hospital..." He says shamefully.

"I am not going to reassign this mission Naruto, but if you cannot befriend her, we'll have no choice but to place her back into Ibiki's hands. A power like hers could destroy this world; I have to do what is best for this land."

Naruto feels his face flushing and his heart beating faster in panic.

"No way! Believe it! I can totally do this! Believe it Granny Tsunade! I'll befriend Rio, save the world from this chakra, _and_ get Sasuke back!" He asserts, running backwards for the door before Tsunade can offer her opinion.

* * *

"Oh. Nice, barbeque." Rio remarks half-heartedly, standing outside yet another food outlet.

Sakura ducks under the hanging flaps attached to the door frame and proceeds into the restaurant.

"Sakura!"

"Glad you could make it."

"You've gotta try the barbecued pork Sakura."

"Choji! You didn't even greet her! And you're eating before everyone else!"

"Sorry Ino, but we had an intense training today..."

Three pairs of stranger's eyes rest on Rio, and she can't help but feel intrusive on this obviously close-knit bunch of Shinobi.

_Despite their...profession, they have the greatest bonds I may have ever seen. _She thinks in wonder, and then scolds herself for it.

_That sounded too much like a complement Rio._

"Ino, Shikamaru, Choji," Sakura speaks, indicating who is who as she talks, "This is Rio Toyohai, she's a guest in the village."

"Hey how's it going?" Choji, the larger one asks at the same time as the blond one, Ino, notes,

"I like your shirt. I remember buying the same one for an errand Lady Tsunade sent me on a few days ago."

"You must have stocked my apartment then, I didn't exactly... bring anything with me."

Rio thinks she catches the spiky, dark haired one raising his eyebrows at Sakura, but she just gives a small shrug.

"C'mon, let's eat. Choji's right, it was a tough training session today." His lazy tone makes Rio think he wouldn't ever complete a 'tough training session' but she slides into the booth next to Sakura, opposite Ino and Choji.

"You'd better grab what you want now, else Choji will eat everything." Ino says in an affectionately fed-up way.

Rio gives an uncertain laugh, and looks down her plate.

_Ugh! Again? I can work with you to create music but I can't eat with you! _

"What's wrong?" Sakura asks, noticing her internal despair.

Rio's face heats up again, but she quickly decides to act as if they are the abnormal ones. She picks up the chopsticks, turning the slim wood over between her fingers.

"How on earth is anyone supposed to eat with these things?!" She exclaims, holding them up.

The spiky haired one laughs, earning himself twin glares from the two girls. Choji looks befuddled, but reaches over and arranges them in her hand.

"You use your thumb to move them, like this." He demonstrates.

Rio watches closely, then tries to replicate the movement. One of her chopsticks drops onto her plate with an audible clatter. She looks up in a 'don't bother, I'm a lost cause' kind of way at him, but he just smiles.

"Here." He grabs her plate and deftly serves up a helping of meats and salad, much to the surprise of Ino and Shikamaru.

"Ah...thanks." Rio says awkwardly, noticing the glances being exchanged between them.

A conversation picks up between Choji, Sakura and Shikamaru, and Rio manages to clasp a piece of meat between the infernal tools, slipping it from the plate to her mouth quickly in case it falls out.

"So, where are you from? What are you in the Leaf for?" Ino wonders politely, but she couldn't have chosen harder questions.

"Um, the Coast."

_Yeah, stay vague._

"Family stuff."

"Gan Sakura's gui-ing you a -und?" Choji tries to say through a mouthful.

Rio translates this to either 'And Sakura's guiding you around?', or 'Can Sakura guying eww ah hand?'.She decides the former is more probable.

'No actually. I'm meant to be with Naruto, but he, ah, had to go see your Hokage."

"I didn't think it was right for a guest to have to eat by herself." Sakura tries to shimmy the conversation to more general topics.

"Oh man! Naruto's your escort! You're gonna go crazy!" Ino protests.

"I'll say." Shikamaru agrees.

"You'll have to drop by the florists at some point. My parents own it, and I'll probably be there, seeing as we have no missions right now."

Rio smiles in response.

"I haven't really seen much of the Leaf, I wouldn't know where to find it."

"Just ask Naruto, he knows. It's on the way to the hospital."

"Speak of the devil..." Rio hears Sakura mutter under her breath.

Naruto, in his traffic cone coloured gear pushes aside the once transparent flaps and beams a smile at his friends.

"Ino, make room." Shikamaru says.

_Bossy. _

Naruto scooches into the small space left for him; Choji appears to be taking most of it.

"Hey guys! What's up! Ahh man! This is awesome!" He declares, helping himself to the food sizzling away in front of them.

The group talks easily with one another, Rio only speaking when directly addressed, picking at her food. Despite her big lunch, her appetite has greatly decreased since her weeks spent with Ibiki, so she eats mainly salad, but there is still food left on her plate. It ceases to be a problem however, when Choji eats it for her.

After paying, Naruto and Rio break from the others, leaving the two of them in a stiff silence again.

"Ok, I hate this! I _need_ to talk!" Rio blurts out. "I don't... not like your M.O., and of course I think it's important to protect the things we love, but in my experience, violence never does any good."

They pass over an idyllic bridge, cherry blossoms getting stuck in their hair. She sneaks a glance at him, and unwillingly feels her heart flutter in her chest.

_He is... beautiful, in his own way..._

"It's my dream to become Hokage so I can put an end to needless violence." Naruto says thoughtfully.

_Mmmhmm._

Rio sighs loudly.

"Well why didn't you say that in the first place! Honestly!"

They watch each other out of the corner of their eyes, both stubbornly refusing to be the first to crack, but ending up falling about laughing together.

They talk about unimportant things until they reach her block, and Rio realises she let the cliché 'boy walks girl home after dinner' happen to her.

_Ewww! I hate this stuff! All these pretentious conventions are so, so... vexatious. _She accidently lets out a small giggle and Naruto looks at her questioningly. She waves her hand as a gesture to let it go, but still feels giddy.

"Thanks. I promise I won't do something stupid like I did last night." She says guiltily.

"Okay. Great. See you tomorrow!"

He walks back into the sunset, its rose coloured radiance lacing golden thread around his person.

_I think, if he was one of father's surrealist paintings, this is what he would look like. _She watches his shadow recede around a corner.

_Some darkness on the inside, but surrounded by light. Maybe I should try harder to be nice around him. I don't have to believe his story, but at least his sense of duty is admirable. Oh man Rio. What are you doing! Nothing. That's what! Staring into space left by a boy. Stop staring._

Rio isn't sure why, but she suppresses the smile tugging at her cheeks all evening and plays her guitar until she falls asleep on her bed.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

And so that's how the next few days pass; Naruto pretends to train, but really watches how her finger's move faster each day as her bruises heal over the steel strings, picking a fight with them just like the old man said, and yet working so well together. Rio, who sits a safe distance away on the grass, pretends not to notice, but allows herself to be flattered.

Visiting Ichiraku's every night is expensive so Rio insists on eating in, but soon grows tired of cooking and argues that Naruto should take some of the responsibility, seeing as they are eating her food. He doesn't want to tell her at first, but eventually it is inevitable and he confesses his culinary expertise ranges from eggs to instant ramen. But of course that only leads to her trying to show off and an attempt to teach him how to cook an intricate pastry dish, which fails miserably on both sides and results in them throwing flour at each other.

Rio even starts to enjoy herself. She doesn't have to think about her lost home and family so long as she is distracted by music, Naruto's schedule and well, Naruto. As much as she hates to admit it, she misses him when he leaves for the evening, and goes to bed early so it seems a shorter amount of time until she sees him again.

Naruto himself struggles to bring up the subject of her seal, fearing that she will recede into herself again and put up the indifferent, sometimes cruel disguise. He knows what Kakashi would say if he found out about his personal feelings, but he doesn't want to shut this emotion out, even if he doesn't quite know what it is yet. It started out as a small globe in his chest, easy to avoid, but it has grown to a phosphorescent orb that takes up most of the space and is difficult to get around.

It is an abysmal day when Naruto and Rio bump into Jiraiya on their way to the training grounds. Storm clouds brew high above the stone faces of the Hokage, light spits of rain hinting at what is to come.

"Naruto! Fancy seeing you here!" then leaning over he whispers in his ear, "Who's your friend?"

He looks knowingly between them, making Rio fold her arms and roll her eyes.

"This is Rio Toyohai, she's a –"

"POW, well... sort of." She looks up pulling a face at the white mass of hair on the man's head.

"Okaaaay, well allow me to introduce myself. Prepare yourself for the dazzling, charmingly roguish unmatched in skill and raw gutsiness Toad Mountain Sage... Jiraiya!" He ends his debut with a flourish.

Rio turns to Naruto.

"Who is this guy?"

Jiraiya nearly topples off his wooden sandals.

"Pervy Sage helps me train sometimes; I went travelling with him for a while too."

Rio addresses Jiraiya, eyebrows raised in amusement at Naruto's nickname for him.

"Is there anything else you can do? I mean, aside from being charmingly roguish and raw gutsiness."

He grins, nudging Naruto with his elbow, who immediately face-palms.

"I imagine you've only seen some pretty basic ninjutsu with Naruto showing you around, allow me to show you the almighty power of the Toad Sage."

"You might as well, he's been doing basic stuff cause he still thinks he'll scare me." She replies, inclining her head towards Naruto.

"Well come on then! Naruto, it's time for a training session anyway, I haven't seen you in ages."

* * *

After Naruto and Jiraiya practice their Toad Summoning Jutsu and Rio tries not to gag at the swampy smell, she returns their display of skill with one of her own. Jiraiya claps overenthusiastically, which makes Rio think back to Naruto's nickname 'Pervy Sage' and wonders how very accurate it might be. She turns to the sunset and plucks a few strings.

Jiraiya however, can't wait till she is transfixed in her song so he can speak with Naruto.

"Sooooo," He orates. "What is a 'kind of' Prisoner Of War?"

"She was captured from the Land of Art, she has the seal to modified chakra. Orochimaru was working on it."

"Hmmm. What is she doing out in the open then? Did Tsunade deem her trustworthy? Has she been inducted into the Leaf?"

"Nah, I'm meant to be finding out how to release the seal. She only knows how to use it to make music. Pretty useless huh?"

TWANG!

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Rio says intensely in her monotone. One of her steel strings has snapped.

Jiraiya for once, looks serious. But both are surprised when she turns away from them again and mutters,

"Pretty useless..."

Jiraiya whispers to Naruto,

"So what have you found out?"

"Only that Orochimaru was the only person who could place the seal on her because his chakra is already so messed up."

"I take it that means because he himself posseses a form of modified chakra."

Naruto nods, staring at Rio's back.

"Are you even trying to put this together Naruto? Wouldn't it make sense if only modified chakra could release it?!"

"Well it sounds as if you've got it all figured out." Rio says in her deadpan voice.

Both jump at being overheard again, but Jiraiya steps in.

"Look we're not trying to kill you, we just want to ensure our village is safe."

"You're village _is _safe! I told you," She turns angrily on Naruto, "I'm not into violence!"

"Is he right though? Can it only be released by someone with modified chakra?" Naruto's throat constricts at the thought of her being stripped of her music and cast out of his life.

She looks at him for a long time, and then turns her head away in defeat. At that precise moment, three ANBU descend on them. With a swish of white cloak, one of them has secured his arms around Rio's neck. She stands absolutely still, an expression of shock stuck on her face.

"Hey! What are y-"

"Naruto, don't." Jiraiya grumbles, grabbing Naruto's arm.

"Let me go!" Rio snaps out her shock and pulls at the ANBU's arms, starting to hyperventilate.

_They know! They know!_

"Rio, don't struggle." Jiraiya tries to calm her.

One of the ANBU produces a syringe. Rio's eyes widen in fear at the needle and before she knows what's going on, it smashes; fluid leaking over the ANBU's gloves, a faint trace of silver mist lingering around the shards.

_I have to get away._

The ANBU is already preparing another sedative, and Rio carefully manipulates her chakra to unwind the broken guitar string.

Naruto is adamantly yelling at the ANBU while Jiraiya tries to suppress his efforts. Rio quickly slips the wire around her captive's neck like a noose, tightens it, and uses her chakra to yank him sideways, careful not to catch his skin.

"Quick! Don't let her escape!" The third masked ANBU cries.

Rio falls backwards, but as soon as her palms hit the earth, a thick wall of dirt is thrown at Naruto, Jiraiya and the three ANBU, encasing them. Rio takes the opportunity to make a break for it, hearing Naruto call out behind her.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Rio sits shivering against a tree trunk, curled up from the rain and harsh wind. She ran for as long and as far as she could, scaling a fence with for once, thanks to the adrenaline, no pain in her ribs, and found herself immersed in a dark forest.

Now that's she's away from the village, her fingers are numb, her head aches, she can't feel her feet and even the slightest movement in her ribs make her want to throw up. Bark catching in her hair, she slips into a restless sleep.

"_Why are you doing this?" Rio asks Cinari._

"_Because you have no social life." She answers plainly, sticking the pearl pins into her sister's thick hair._

"_I have friends."_

"_Who know only your face and your name. The point of having friends is so you have someone to go to who knows you better than family, someone who doesn't restrict your choices or personality, or expect you to perform duties because of your blood. Ow!"_

_Scarlet blood streaks down the back of the wooden chair._

"_Hey! What happened! Are you okay?" Rio swivels around, beads sewn into her dress clattering against each other._

"_Stabbed myself with a pin." She lets out a pained laugh. "Don't worry, I didn't get your dress."_

"_I look stupid. I'm gonna go change."_

"_Ugh! No! I just spent an hour getting you ready! You are so ungrateful!" Cinari screeches. "How is it you get the seal?! I'm the eldest!"_

"_Is that what this is about? You want him to reconsider don't you! You're trying to make me into a socialite so he'll think too many people know me! And here I was thinking you actually cared!"_

"_Hey! We found her!" Cinari mouths to a voice that doesn't belong to her. _

"_What?"_

The memory smears sideways like paint. She tries to open her eyes, feeling a sharp sting in her arm, but suddenly gravity becomes a traitor and refuses to let her up. Giving in to the crushing weight, she hears Cinari laughing at her from the back of her mind.

* * *

Things are a little chaotic in Tsunade's office. People keep rushing in and out grabbing documents as they go. Both Naruto and Sakura feel anxious at Rio's escape, though for different reasons.

"I just heard, Rio is back in custody, she's recovering at the hospital." Tsunade informs them with relief.

"Recovering?! From what?!" Naruto sounds unusually squeaky.

"Relax Naruto. She has mild hypothermia; she's not injured, well, any more than she was. But there is bad news. We've lost Orochimaru and his followers."

"What do you mean 'lost'?"

"They've just disappeared, into thin air it would seem. We need to act quickly."

"What do we do now My Lady?" Ever polite Sakura asks.

"We try to release the seal. Tonight. Naruto, you have the most powerful modified chakra in this village, so we will require you to perform the release jutsus."

"What?!" He exhales.

"I know it's inconvenient, you've barely attempted any, but since we will be completing a series of trial and error, I doubt it will matter."

"Stop this!" He yells. Tsunade stares at him challengingly. "Stop treating her like some science experiment! She's a living, breathing person and deserves her life back!"

"Have you forgotten the terms of our deal Naruto! Shizune was right. I think you've become too attached." Tsunade is obviously not happy about having to repeat herself. "We agreed that as soon as we had the seal, we would release her. You know it's what's best for her, and don't forget about Sasuke."

Sakura looks pleadingly at Naruto.

"She doesn't want to be here Naruto. She still thinks we destroyed her village."

Naruto digs his nails into his palms, and standing rigid with his eyes shut, gives a small nod.

* * *

Stars burn bright red in the darkness behind Rio's eyes. Confused, she tries to rub her eyes but feels a cold tug on her wrists instead. Blinking away the drug infused daze, the red stars transform into candles. A large cavern the size of an arena forms a dome over her and metal cuffs secure her to a stone slab. She tries to pull at them, but her body is still sluggish from whatever sedative the masked men had injected her with.

A looming shadow stretches across her face. It takes her a minute for her eyes to adjust, but when she sees the familiar face of Naruto she breathes a sigh of relief and smiles weakly.

"Phew! I'm glad to see you! Can you get me out of these?" She indicates at her bound hands, glancing at her torn top and once again exposed seal.

Shadows hide Naruto's eyes, but as he turns his face to her, a chilling sensation weaves down her spine. His eyes gleam in the candlelight, and he watches her face fall in slow motion.

"Naruto?" She observes her surroundings more carefully this time, and notices many more ANBU positioned around the dim room. Sakura stands next to a stern looking blond woman, who locks eyes on her and yells,

"Begin Naruto."

"No. No way." She whispers, the betrayal hitting home.

Tears prick her eyes, as Naruto wordlessly reaches over her midriff and performing a few hand signs, shouts the name of a release jutsu. A burning sensation sears through the lines of the mark and Rio, out of strength emotionally and physically, starts to scream.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Pain ricochets up through Rio's chest and all the way to her palms; up her spine to her head, spasms down her legs. Her chakra eats its way out of her alive.

After the fifth seal release attempt, Rio starts coughing up blood and Tsunade invokes Sakura's medical skills to heal her internal bleeding.

"What's happening?!" Naruto shouts in alarm and fear.

"The trauma caused by forcing chakra into her body is inducing ruptures. The seal is weakening, keep going Naruto! Rio won't thank you for dragging this out. Sakura can handle it!" Tsunade declares.

_Kyuubi was right. She'll hate me. _

Naruto's stomach flips as Rio moans and her eyes search frantically without focusing.

"I think we should stop Granny Tsunade, she's getting worse."

"Do you think I enjoy doing this to people Naruto? Would you want to put her through this again?"

_Just get it over and done with._

Calling on the stronger chakra of the Nine Tails and stringing together another series of hand signs, he bellows,

"Release!"

Rio's back arches upwards towards his hands, then collapses back down as her body convulses. He leaps forward and grabs her hand, cupping his other around her blood speckled, sweaty face. Her eyes snap up to his.

"Ssstop."

She coughs, gasping for air. Naruto's jaw tightens at the feeling of protection emanating from within.

"You'll kill me." She whispers looking up at him in fear. "Naruto...please."

Tears well in his eyes; the guilt and indecision spreading well and truly throughout his body.

_I trust Granny Tsunade... But Rio never begged Ibiki, what's changed? _

A few small clumps of tan dirt rain down on her face, breaking open and scattering grains. He moves to brush them off when he hears a deep rumbling echoing around the walls of the cavern. He turns, kunai in hand, ready to defend them both and sees that everyone else has done the same.

Suddenly, the wall opposite them explodes in a shower of dust, throwing the ANBU next to it to the ground. Out of the shadows walk Orochimaru; his faithful Kabuto on one side, and a dark haired youthful woman on the other.

"Orochimaru!"

Tsunade is seething, but attempts to survey how many nin he has brought with him. It is impossible to tell in the darkness of the hole they made in the wall.

"Hello Tsunade, I see you've met my little project. Quite ingenious is it not?"

"You'll not be getting her back Orochimaru. I would ask how you got past our defences, but I imagine you aren't here to talk." Then, to her own forces, she yells, "Don't let them get through!"

Orochimaru's breathy laugh is drowned out by the surge of ninja rushing out and the clash of weapons. Tsunade makes to jump to the other side of the huge underground hollow but before she makes the leap, she says the opposite of what Naruto hopes to hear.

"Keep going. Sakura, stay here, we'll keep them back. And Hurry Naruto!"

Sakura sees his distress, and places a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It has to be done; I'll keep healing while you do your job."

With shaking hands he tries to focus with the sound of the fighting getting closer. Despite Sakura's best efforts, two more attempts have Rio's eyes rolling back in her skull. Her breathing has become laboured and the skin around her seal has turned a disturbing purply-red.

With the fighting less than one hundred metres away now, he bends over her.

"Rio?" He doesn't know what he expects in response.

A blast showers dirt over the three of them. Naruto makes his decision. Snapping open the metal cuffs stapling Rio to the stone table, he scoops her limp body into his arms. Sakura places a hand on his wrist, stopping him.

"Sakura, I can't-"

"I know. Run. I'll cover for you. Now go!"

With quick nod towards his respected teammate he bolts for the nearest exit, but only after turning down four corridors is he met with resistance. At first glance it appears an older version of the girl he holds in his arms is before him, but upon closer inspection he notices she has a taller, slighter build, a narrower face, rounder lips and mean eyes. She folds her arms and taps her foot in an arrogant manner.

"Now now Rio, Daddy wouldn't approve of you being alone with a boy." She says with a smirk.

Rio stirs against his chest.

"Cinari?" She wheezes.

"Who are you?" Naruto questions.

"I'm the big sis, kid. And you'd better hand her over to me, seeing as I'm now her only family."

"You're with Orochimaru, he's just using you! My friend Sas-"

"Sasuke couldn't care less about you." Then, seeing his surprise, she elaborates. "Yeah I've seen him, and he's left you far behind. I have to admit, the web of hate he's woven around himself is fairly impressive."

"I see." Laying Rio down against the wall, her starts to turn back to fight Cinari, but with the last of her strength, Rio reaches out towards him.

"Don't... hurt...her."

A soprano laugh erupts from her sister.

"You still love me? That's sweet, but guess what sis? I. Hate. You."

Rio drags her lids back from her eyes. Three spectres of each person in her midst wavers from side to side in the tunnel.

"I've hated you from the second he chose you over me! I worked for it, not you! I proved myself to him time and time again! I even burnt down our damn home but is there any reward? No! I would kill to get my hands on that kind of power." Cocking her head sideways at Naruto, she glares hungrily out from underneath her lashes. "And actually, I will."

Naruto has just enough time to summon some clones to stand guard before she launches herself at him. Cinari has been obviously been trained, but she lacks experience and initiative. After blocking a few amateur attempts at hitting him, Naruto tries to obey Rio's request, elbows her in the temple and she falls down unconscious.

The clones surrounding Rio dissipate, but while the quick victory relieves Naruto somewhat, it has done nothing for Rio, who is breathing heavily by the wall with her eyes scrunched up.

"Rio? Hey, c'mon. We've gotta go." He says, kneeling down next to her.

Out to the world, Rio slumps against his body, her head lolling on his shoulder. She shivers, and Naruto thinks her chattering teeth can probably be heard down numerous corridors. Unzipping his vivid jacket, he wraps it around her shoulders and does it back up, covering the wreath of twisting black lines on her discoloured stomach.

Hoisting into his arms again, she whimpers, but with nothing to be done about it, he runs at full speed out of the clay passages.


	18. Chapter 18

*Thanks everyone for the reviews, favourites and follows. :) I will hopefully be posting a new chapter once a week because, well... exams! Boo! And study. Ick. Also, reading back over it, I apologise for my liberal use of commas. :P For those asking, this is not a NaruSaku.

Chapter 18

The rushed words of the emergency medics ring in Naruto's head like vultures cawing as they circle a carcass.

_Get her to the operation room, now! We've got massive internal bleeding... Nurse! Oxygen! Hey! Naruto isn't it? Try to keep her conscious... Not responding! Move aside! _

The restless ninja sits fidgeting in a narrow corridor of the hospital. After the doctors took Rio away on a gurney, his thoughts turn down a negative road as he wonders if he's made enemies in her _and_ his Hokage.

_I just left Granny Tsunade there to fight Orochimaru. What if he had never came? What would I have done then? I put my trust that gambler, but Rio put her trust in me, and I let her down. Is the fighting still going on? I've never run away from a fight in my life. It was for a good reason, but what if Rio never forgives me? Should I go back, or should I stay here? And what about her sister, is Rio gonna blame me for that too? C'mon Rio, just live. I swear I'll make it up to you, just...Please, I need you to understand... how much... and why... Agh! You're strong Rio; I know you can come back from this... _

His train of thought is broken when a tired looking grey-haired nurse sticks her head out of the operating room. Naruto rises from the uncomfortable wooden bench like he's being sentenced to death. She takes in his exhausted demeanour, but after years of healing wounded ninja, she has learnt to keep her curiosity to herself.

"She'll pull through. I'll confess the internal bleeding was serious; we thought we were going lose her a few times there, but it's been stopped and she just needs rest now." She says with a placid smile.

"Can I see her?"

The old woman looks uncomfortable.

"You're not really supposed to... Are you a relative?"

"No." He says in defeat.

"Perhaps you could let her family know she's okay? It's best to keep busy when these things happen." She replies, trying to be helpful.

He looks perceptively at her wrinkled face, one that no doubt has seen its fair share of horrors and tragedies and painful psychological and physical recoveries. Broken hearts and broken families. She sighs, somehow wordlessly understanding what he is trying to phrase.

"Follow me." She utters with a slight shake of her head.

* * *

_That screaming, is that...me? It's so hot in here. Who's laughing? Cinari? But... you're dead. No! What are you doing!? How did it get cold? I'm freezing and... Falling..._

Chasing ephemeral memories and delirious hallucinations, Rio wakes many times only to fall back into the all-engulfing void, reaching out for something to grab a hold of. When she finally climbs out her body is exhausted, but would rather face facts than stay the victim of her own dreams.

Curtains whip in the breeze and someone breathes lightly next to her. Her eyes feel like they're covered in a translucent felt as she rubs them open. The immaculate cleanliness of the Leaf Hospital is immediately apparent, and she feels the same lumpy type of mattress beneath her. A clamp is placed over a finger, monitoring her heart rate, and an IV is plugged into her elbow, dripping some clear liquid into her circulatory system.

Sensing someone beside her, she cranes her neck to the side and into view comes the whisker marked face of Naruto Uzumaki, sleeping soundly on a chair with his head against the bed.

A flash of visions play out in a split second and the pain and betrayal of the previous night come flooding back in torrent. She chokes down whatever sound she may have made for fear of waking him up, and pushes the sheets back to check her seal. The anger she feels has her considering strangling him in his sleep, but she only becomes even more upset with herself for thinking such a thing.

Her middle is wound tightly in bandages, so she takes steadying breaths to brace herself for whatever lies beneath it. Gently inching the wrapping down, the lines become visible.

_Okay, it looks... disgusting...Ew._

Her stomach is covered in a waxy yellow sheen, the residue of some ointment, and the skin beneath it is a splotchy mess of purples and angry red contusions, outlined by a foul greenish colour.

A shimmering mirage of Cinari with Orochimaru flickers in her mind, but she pushes it away, not ready to trust what her mind portrays due to the extent of her hallucinations.

_I think...I'm ninety percent sure Cinari is alive. I need to find her, but I have get out of here first... _

This bed thankfully does not have rails, so biting the inside of her cheeks, she pulls the bandages back up and carefully slides her legs over the side. Following with her body, she crouches on the floor, one arm holding her agonized middle. She pulls out the IV without looking at the needle, and pinches the clamp off her index finder.

_Bashed up face, broken ribs, internal bleeding... _She lists off her injuries scathingly.

Coughing slightly as she gets to her feet, she drags her bare feet towards the door.

"Rio?"

Hand frozen on the door handle, she realises she forgot about her traitorous 'escort' watching over her.

"Rio... I... I'm so sorry." The boy's voice breaks.

She remains unmoving, refusing to turn around and face him, to look in those persuasive, deceitful, supposedly earnest blue eyes.

_Give it up Naruto. Just stop it._

"I didn't fight." He says, as if it would make a difference to her now.

"Why did you do it?" She whispers. Then, releasing the doorknob, she turns and yells with as much strength as she can muster,

"Why did you do it?!"

It hurts. Her chest aches and her stomach clenches but she gets it out, looking at him accusingly. Her vocal chords strain against the pressure, and the sudden rush of air cuts at her rasped throat. She bursts into a coughing fit and doubles over in agony.

Naruto's fingers curl in as he restrains himself from moving to support her shaking frame. He himself looks awful. His usually cheery orange jacket lies over the back of his chair, and like his mesh shirt, is covered in dirt and stained with spots of dried blood, but from the expression he wears, one would think he's the one in pain.

_Give her the honesty she deserves, she's been through hell._

He waits for a minute for Rio to finish coughing, then begins to explain.

"I had a friend once, trained with him, fought alongside him. We argued a lot, in fact we barely got on about anything, but we had an understanding, because we were both alone."

Rio's legs begin to quiver in fatigue, so she leans against the wall for support. Naruto looks to the ground, memories darting across his eyes.

"It was the first of that kind of bond I'd ever experienced. But he was always too far ahead to look back. He left the village to join Orochimaru, and I've been training for years to bring him home. I agreed to this mission because if I completed it, Granny Tsunade would give me missions set on that wish."

"Sa-su..." She tries to recall the name from her memory.

He looks up.

"Sasuke Uchiha. You... remember... that part?" He looks nervous, which makes her nervous.

"Why?"

"Your ahh, sister was there."

There is something nagging her. Something about that memory. She can hear Cinari's voice, her laugh and... Naruto fighting her. She gasps.

"What did you do to her?! Where is she?!"

"Hey relax! I just knocked her out, she was trying to kill me!" He says defensively. Then, shrugging, he goes on. "But I dunno where she is now. Orochimaru and his followers retreated once we escaped; she's not in the Leaf anymore."

Rio looks up at the blond kid, her own hair falling over her face.

_Fool. Stupid fool._

"I meet him. Sasuke left because he didn't want to be here, he wanted to grow. Where I'm from, people encourage prosperity, or at least they did. You're not supposed to force others into things, especially not to your friends." She can feel herself starting to tear up, but she truly cannot be bothered hiding from him any more. "You failed in your mission, but I wish you all the best in retrieving Sasuke." She says maliciously in an attempt to hide her hurt.

_We're both stupid fools Naruto._

.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

"Where are you going?" He asks, not moving to stop her.

"Away from here. I need to find my sister."

"Rio... Your sister..."

"What?!"

"How much of our fight do you remember? Do you remember what she said?" His tone takes on an air of desperation and anger.

"I don't... She..." Rio shakes her head. "She wouldn't have meant it. Orochimaru must have done something to her." The suppressed memory tries to resurrect itself.

Slowly he approaches, hands up. As she watches him out of the corner of her eye, a single tear slithers down her face. She picks the drop up on the end of her index finger and looks at it startlingly.

"Why am I crying?" She whispers in self-resentment, half to herself, half to Naruto.

"Do you really believe that?" He asks, sympathetic. "I know Sasuke wasn't satisfied with his life here, but it took me a long time to accept that. I just want him to know he'll always have a home here."

"What do I do? Where do I go if not to my only family? There isn't anywhere else I belong." She replies quietly.

He looks hard at her, eyes boring into hers; Rio tumbles down into his soul. He lifts up his shirt and her hand slips from the doorknob in alarm.

"Whoa! What are y-" Her eyes widen at his spiralling seal. "Is that...What are you... When did... How..." She tries to form a coherent sentence.

"The Nine Tailed Fox Demon was sealed inside me when I was an infant, so you're not alone here. You could stay, in this village...with...me."

The amount of faith he has in his village is agonizing; Rio's hands shake with her legs as she tries to stop her heart from dropping out from under her or somersaulting out of her throat.

"I _can't_ stay here. They'll give me back to Ibiki. I won't survive another round of that Naruto." She chokes up, and finally her legs collapse under her, all strength having left her limbs. She slides down the wall to the ground, tears falling freely down her face without a sound.

Naruto sits down next to her and wraps his arms around her.

"I swear on my ninja way, I'll protect you. No matter what. Right here is where you belong."

"I trusted you, you know. More than I've ever trusted anybody and I didn't even realise it. I've only known you for just over a week." She laughs, but as her diaphragm shudders pain rebounds and she squeezes her hands into tight fists. Naruto only holds her tighter.

_Cinari killed everyone... How could I have... How could she have... _

All her repressed feelings suddenly overwhelm her as she realises she cannot postpone grieving for her family any longer, and the downpour of tears that are now unstoppable are long overdue. She allows Naruto to curl her into his chest, his head resting on hers as he sheds a few unseen tears of his own. In the moments where she fights for breath he murmurs small reassurances, but never tries to get her to stop. He strokes back her hair and rubs circles in her palms, avoiding the healing bruises still visible.

It takes Rio a full two and a half hours to exhaust herself, but as Naruto carefully places her back in the bed he is glad that while it may take some time to fully recover the ground he had gained with her, she still trusts him enough to cry in front of him. Brushing away the hair from her face as he did one the first night, her eyes are swollen and her face is streaked with tears and dirt, but at least her breathing is calm and slow now.

He too is exhausted, having stayed up most of the night trying to calm a feverish and hysteric Rio. He enviously eyes up the remaining space on the bed but knows how badly she would react to that, let alone Sakura or Granny Tsunade, who could walk in at any moment, so he pulls up the plastic chair and once again settles down next to the magnanimous brunette.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Rising from a deep sleep Rio feels the best she's felt in nearly a month. The heavy burden she had become accustomed to lugging around in her chest is much lighter, and although her muscles still ache, her body actually has some energy in it. Her stomach growls, and it takes her longer than it should for her to realise she's hungry.

A colourful array of cards, teddy bears and even a few balloons are cluttered together in a corner, and fresh flowers in a vase next to her brighten up the white hospital ward. Naruto also brightens the room, in more ways than one. Dressed in clean gear again, he lies sideways across the chair next to her, head thrown back over the edge, mouth wide open. Bubbles of air rise from her lungs and she breaks into a smile as she laughs a proper, joyful, enjoying-life laugh.

Someone must have come in and checked on her whilst she was asleep, as the IV has been replaced and taped over this time, but the clip for her finger has been taken away. As if to confirm this, in strides Sakura and the same blond woman from the cavern.

Rio immediately tenses up, feeling vulnerable and anxious. The blond lady steps forward, looking analytically at Naruto. When she opens her mouth she speaks in a hushed tone.

"Rio Toyohai, pleased to officially meet you. I imagine you want to rest so I'll be brief. I will give you two options. If you choose to stay in the Leaf we will protect and shelter you as one of the people, and if you choose to leave, we will let you go without any resistance. Although, I think you can understand he'll have something to say about that." She says, indicating with her eyes to the lightly snoring genin.

Rio's eyebrows pull together. This woman had said the exact opposite of what she had anticipated.

"Ahh, huh?" Words fail her.

The woman sighs, but Sakura gestures impatiently for the woman to spit it out.

"I apologise for overlooking you as a person. I thought anyone associated with Orochimaru was a monster-"

"Don't let him hear you say that." Rio interjects, finding her usual cynical voice and speaking of Naruto.

"But it also appears that you had the capacity to defend yourself the whole time and didn't, so I don't think we're in much danger if someone else tries to use you to wage war on the world." She carries on undeterred.

"I didn't mean to create that dirt...wall... thing." Rio says feeling slow and not quite put-together yet. "It just happened." Then, realising she would rather not keep calling this woman 'the woman', she hastily asks, "Who are you again?"

The woman smiles.

"Sorry, I forgot we haven't been properly introduced. Lady Tsunade, Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf village."

Sakura next to her looks proud. Rio smirks.

_Granny Tsunade._

"Sakura and I have been healing you over the past four days."

Rio's brain freezes.

"Four days! Four days!"

Naruto's snore hitches, Rio quietens and they carry on once again.

Sakura smiles softly. "Yeah, you needed it though. He's been here practically the whole time! I think Ichiraku's even sent up some takeout ramen for him."

_Oh Naruto, it's sweet how protective you can be. You never cease to surprise me. I used to wish Sasuke would look at me the way you look at her..._ Sakura thinks nostalgically.

Rio lets out a large breath.

"You don't have to decide now. How are you feeling?" Sakura enquires.

"Hungry." Is the messy-haired girl's blunt answer.

"Oh, okay, there was some food here before..." Sakura's face turns livid as she hisses so as not to wake her team mate, "Choji! You were here for five seconds!" She turns to Rio and regains her usual composure.

"Sorry, you remember Choji right?"

Rio nods.

"Yeah, well, everyone has come by and Choji must've eaten the food left for you. I wish Ino would talk to him about that." She adds as an afterthought.

"Choji... everyone... came to see me?" Rio wonders, astounded.

"Sakura, we should really let the two of them rest." Tsunade interrupts, concerned the talk will tire Rio.

"Right My Lady. I'll have them send something up for you." Sakura assures the invalid.

"Him too please." Rio asks, suddenly feeling awkward. "You _know_ he'll be hungry when he wakes up."

Sakura shares the same knowing smile that Rio wears and gives a quick nod, moving to leave.

"Oh wait! Since your here now, I may as well make this clear." Rio clears her throat.

The two nin give her their full attention, curiosity written plainly on their faces.

"I think I've figured out why your release seals didn't work." Somehow, talking about this subject is much easier than she had anticipated after weeks of keeping it locked up inside her.

"I'm not telling you this because I trust you, I just don't want you try any more tricks." She says sternly.

Tsunade tries to say something but Rio cuts her off. She takes a deep breath, thinking about how best she can compact her conclusions into an explanation.

"This," she points to her stomach, "is as much a necessary part of me as my heart is. Sure, the seal enhances my chakra, but it's taken years to build up to the amount I posses now. I've grown up with it winding its way into my life systems. If it is taken from me, I die, and in turn it becomes redundant. It needs a life force, a host. I've been thinking about it ever since Naruto asked me why Orochimaru hadn't trained me as soon as it was placed on me; I think he was just waiting. And I don't think he'll be creating any more seals like mine, at least, not for some time. He was completely drained solely from this one."

Tsunade considers this as Sakura looks to her Hokage for guidance.

"An interesting theory, but I assure you, we will no longer try to remove the seal from you." She nods to Rio and swiftly walks from the room. Rio sees the white cape of an ANBU swish as the door opens and shuts quickly.

"What are they doing here?" She asks in an accusatory tone.

"For your protection. We just wanted to be sure... you wouldn't-"

"Hurt anyone." Rio states without any emotion.

"Hurt yourself!" Sakura protests. "We came in as soon as you were better because we needed you to know you're free now and there's no need to do anything stupid!"

Rio can't help the fact that she had thought about it once or twice when she was in the interrogation cells, so she decides to change the subject.

"I think we're becoming friends. You're yelling at me. I've noticed you like to yell at people you're fond of."

Sakura is taken aback, but more so because she has to stop her alter ego from countering this remark and realises Rio is probably right. Instead, she smiles polity, taking the hint, and replies,

"I should go and order your food. I'll be back later with Lady Tsunade but feel free to wake him up if you need anything." She smirks at Naruto and leaves.

As soon as the door closes, a low voice murmurs,

"So are you staying?"


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Naruto? Hey! You were eavesdropping!" Then Rio says cheekily, "And just for that, I'm not going to say anything on the matter!"

Truthfully, she simply used his listening in as an excuse not to talk about her conflicting feelings for the Leaf, and the people in it.

They laugh awkwardly with each other; Rio nervously tucks her hair behind her ear.

_No one has ever seen me so broken, not that I've ever been broken before. Ugh what must he think of me now?!_

"So..." He begins.

"Thank you."

Rio stares straight ahead; too cowardly to look him in the eye. "I don't want you to feel any obligation to protect me so you can leave if you want to, I'm fine now."

_Don't go... No, don't think that! You'll only be disappointed when he actually does quit on you._

"Ah, no worries, I wanna be here. I'm glad you're feeling better." His easy camaraderie clears the air and Rio smiles in delight that he still wants to know her.

"And besides, Sakura said she was ordering food for us!"

_I so called it! _Rio is proud of her foresight.

Naruto gets up and unties his headband, combing his vibrant yellow hair with his fingers. He stretches his arms out behind his back in the usual way, but Rio hears a few of his joints pop as he does so.

"Get over here." She says. "You look sore from sleeping in that chair. Have you really been here for four days?" She shimmies herself over to the left side of the bed with her hands.

"Well, I've been home a few times, to change and stuff, but otherwise – Hey! Watch yourself!" He jumps up and slips an arm around her back to support her as she gasps suddenly in pain and grits her teeth together.

_Okay, maybe not physically much better... _They think simultaneously.

Naruto hops up keeping his arm around her, liking her warmth and the way her shoulder blades move against his arm.

"Ouch." She says for want of a much better word.

"Don't you worry Rio; Granny Tsunade is the best medical ninja in the Leaf. Under her care, you'll be up and about in just a few more days. She helped Bushy Brows recover from his spine injury, believe it!"

Rio laughs. "Who's Bushy Brows?"

And he's off, recalling stories of the days when Squad 7 had just graduated from the Academy, through to his travels with Jiraiya the Toad Sage.

* * *

For the next few days he comes and goes; he brings in her guitar, watching as she intricately replaces the string and he cuts the excess with his kunai. He props her up on his body so she can play painlessly. She never sings, nervous for what may leave her lips, but she works on her finger picking skills and mainly plays spur-of-the-moment exerts to make him laugh. He and Sakura play card games with her to starve off the boredom, and Lady Tsunade drops in every day to asses her rate of recovery.

Rio freaks the first time the Hokage's hands become surrounded by the misty green over her seal, and the ANBU even come in, but Tsunade kicks then out faster than the Yellow Flash of Konoha. After that, Tsunade is always sure to tell Rio what she's doing prior, so much so that Rio snaps at her few times, feeling like she's being treated like a child getting their first injection.

Choji, Shikamaru and Ino come by occasionally, but they never stay for long. Choji is as kind to her as when they first met, Shikamaru as quiet and bored-looking, and Ino spends most of her time competing with Sakura.

Naruto tells Rio of a scheme to get Shikamaru to teach her Shougi; she laughs, claiming that between the two of them the cynicism in the room may be enough to make the entire hospital sink three inches into the ground in depression.

Finally, nine days after her being admitted to the hospital, Rio is able to stand on her own, and hobble down the corridor to pester the receptionists when no one else is around to talk to. Naruto even helps her outside after the sixth day to sit in the sun and get some fresh air.

The day that the bad news arrives is also the day it seems most unlikely to. Naruto sits cross legged at the end of Rio's bed as she annihilates him at another of their card games when Jiraiya bounds in with a bunch of flowers.

"Hey kiddo!" He yells when he sees Rio, a big grin plastered on his face. "How ya doing?"

"Walking on sunshine Jiraiya." Rio replies sarcastically, but in good humour. "Hey, ah... sorry about before, with that earth wall, I really didn't mean to do it." She offers him an 'I'm sorry' smile.

"Ah, forget about it. It'd take a lot more than that to take down the mighty Toad Sage." He waves his hand in the air and strikes a pose.

Suspicious, Naruto asks, "Say, Pervy Sage, what are you doing here?"

"I told you not to call me that." He mutters to Naruto. "Well, after giving you these flowers," He says at full volume again and bestowing them upon Rio, "to drag you out for some training Naruto. You need to keep up with the work we were doing."

"But... I've been busy, and I _have_ been doing some training, just not-" He scrambles for an excuse.

"You should go." Rio's clear voice cuts in, trying to sound authoritative.

Naruto looks surprised; borderline hurt.

"Well he's right, you need to get out." She shrugs. "You're bouncing off the walls."

He sighs, acknowledging the fact.

"Great, so it's settled." Jiraiya finalises. "C'mon Naruto. Look after yourself Rio." He waits for Naruto to grab his jacket.

"I'll be back later, see you then." Naruto confirms, a variation of what he says every time he leaves to go somewhere.

Rio bows her head and waves them out the door.

She trades the bed for the floor, settles her guitar against her, tunes it and strums out a new series of chords. Her fingers just know where to place themselves after all these years, but she hasn't been able to summon a single thread of silver chakra since that fateful night, a fact that frightens her. She secretly tries to gather enough to twang a string of her guitar every time Naruto departs for the night, but it burns her seal and grants her a splitting headache.

She jumps as the door opens and a flurry of footsteps sound on the lino as they pace quickly in.

"Where is she?" an unfamiliar voice growls.

"She must be outside, my apologies." Lady Tsunade replies, sounding tired.

Hearing Tsunade's voice, Rio sticks her hand up in the air.

"Down here." She pushes herself up using the bed to stare coolly back at a well-weathered man.

After a moment of silence, she raises an eyebrow. "Tsunade?"

"Rio, this is one of the Leaf's Councillors, Homura Mitokado. The council has expressed concern on the subject of your chakra control."

Rio stiffens. "Concern? Let me guess, you disapprove of the modern music evolution and want me to brainwash everyone to play more traditional styles?"

Tsunade sighs, but the old man is not amused by her stereotypical judgement and wastes no time in making his opinion known.

"If you choose to live in the village you will be required to learn how to control your chakra. It is in both mine and Lady Tsunade's duty to protect the people."

"No." She shakes her head, laughing bitterly. "You want me to fight for you." She resorts to her cold exterior.

"Not at all." Tsunade steps towards her; Rio takes a step backwards. "I know you will not stay now, but I do think it would be in your best interests to learn the strength of your power, so you can protect yourself in the future at least."

Suddenly feeling nauseous, she pushes her way past the Hokage and the Elder as she mutters,

"I think I'm going to get some air."

As the door swings closed behind her, the infuriated Hokage turns on the old man.

"I told to let me handle it! I-"

"Tsunade, it does not matter who told her the Council's decision, she needs to be aware of how the Elders see her power. The sooner she knows all the facts, the sooner we can all move on with our lives."

With that, he takes his leave.


End file.
